To Love Another Person
by TheRoseOfGryffindor
Summary: What if on that fateful night Eponine was unable to get there in time to stop the bullet from hitting Marius, what if she had lived, what could have ended differently... read and see (this is not my best work, I wrote this in like a week and the verse is sort of half musical half book because I'm only halfway through the book) *I fixed Chapter 4's missing partial paragraph!
1. The Spirit of Paris

There was in the air of that Parisian night something spectral, as if the spirits of those about to die had already departed from their bodies and were swirling about fantastically in the mists that rose off the Seine. The barricades were built, and the men who manned them waited. Skirmishes had occurred already but no full force attack had yet been launched.

Enjolras paced the barricade, his lofty brow creased in concentration. Surely the populace of Paris must have realized by now that revolution was at hand, why were they not storming the streets as they had done in the days of his forefathers, when the Bastille had been the beginning of the blood-letting that had cured the fatherland of it's apoplexy. Temporarily at least.

Another brief skirmish was launched by some members of the National Guard. Enjolras moved with speed as he saw guardsmen take aim and fire, but he was too late. Another had also been rushing to that spot, but they also had not made it in time, and the dark haired young man crumbled to the ground before the gendarmes retreated after a fierce volley from the men at the barricade.

Enjolras reached the man's side and recognized his face, it was Marius Pontmercy. He took the dying man in his arms, for dying he was, he had been shot in the stomach, and he had no need to ask Joly for medical advise. Marius wheezed, managing a brave smile for the leader in red, on the other side, a young boy held Marius' hand. The boy had the robust face of youth and a hardened look, and held the dying Marius' hand as if it were the most sacred object they had ever beheld.

"Long live freedom" Marius said before expiring in Enjolras' arms. The savage and cold deity allowed himself a mournful look, almost to the point of shedding tears, but not quite. He and Combeferre carried Marius' body while the young boy followed muttering 'too late, I was too late to save him.' Enjolras shuddered, inside he felt something akin to this youth's survivor's guilt, he had been rushing to get Marius down, but had been too late as well. He shook the feeling, he had to stay alive, without him the whole revolt would crumble, he knew it. It wasn't that he considered himself superior to the others, but he was the fuel that kept the fire going, without him it would fizzle out and be extinguished.

Courfeyrac freely shed tears over the sad fate of his friend.

"I should never have introduced him to our cause, he could have happily lived out his days with his sweetheart as a democratic Bonapartist" he said more out of regret for the fate it had brought onto his friend than actual regret for illuminating Marius' mind by inviting him to their meetings.

"Quiet Courfeyrac" Combeferre said in his gentle tone "you cannot blame yourself, nor should you, you brought Marius to the meetings and he learned, he became more informed, you could not have foreseen this. None of us could, but don't you think he knew this was a real possibility when he came with us to these barricades. He knew what he was doing, so do not blame yourself for it Courfeyrac" Combeferre helped his friend to his feet, and offered him his necktie as a handkerchief. The meer prescence of Combeferre helped to calm the grieving down. Like a balm of kindness Combeferre's quiet and resiliant bravery inspired the others to remain calm just as Enjolras inspired them to fight.

A man in uniform approached the barricades. He claimed to be a volunteer, after some questioning he was given a rifle and ammunition. This man seemed to have the same air about him that Combeferre himself did, the air of a keen and calm mind in conjunction with a generous heart. He positioned himself on the barricade, closest to the most dangerous spot but was also the most central location, as if he were only there to rush to the aid of the others.

The National Guardsmen launched their first legitimate assault. The volunteer, for no one had inquired after his name. Names gave personableness to an individual, you had a name of a person you could almost say you had known them, and on a night like this when all but a few of the stoutest hearts at the barricades felt death's spectral fingers grasping them, you didn't want to get to know anyone more than you had to, because you felt that the chances of you having to watch that person die were far too great for you to risk acquaintence.

The first attack raged on, volleys were exchanged, some men fell, not all died, some were simply wounded and were carried into the cafe to be tended to. As the gendarmes fell back the defenders of the barricade fell into a pensive state of peace. They knew another attack would come, that this was just a testing of their fortitude.

The men of the barricades sat and waited, some, whose sweethearts were working in the cafe to tend the wounded spoke what they knew might be their final words to their loved ones. Others, who were without mistresses, or whose mistresses had not came to the barricades, drank together and talked of anything they could to distract themselves from the oppressing weight of the night.

A drizzle began to rain down on them, dampening some of the gunpowder, most took shelter in the cafe. It was an evil portent, the rain that was falling from the heavens. They did not possess a great amount of ammunition at the onset, now, with some of it dampened, it increased their disadvantage dramatically.

The youth who had been present with Enjolras when Marius died seemed vaguely silent, as if they were internally wrestling with some concept previously unknown to them. The young boy sat in a corner by himself, refusing drink, declining conversation, remaining outside in the rain so very wrapped up in thought that it took him a moment to realize that they march of guardsmen's boots was approaching again.

The defenders moved to their positions, the youth readied his gun which they had protected from the rain by sheltering it under the eaves of the cafe's porch. Everyone wait in readiness as another assault was launched. This one was heavier than the lest, but less casualties, the men at the barricades who had been overcome by nerves and anxiety were now more calm, goodbyes had been spoken and wine drank. They could face their fate fighting for freedom and be content with whatever destiny dealt them on that deadly night.

Again the gendarmes fell back.

"We need more powder" Combeferre said to Enjolras.

"Half of it is wet through" Courfeyrac added, he was now in control of his emotions and was more hardened in aspect than anyone could remember seeing him. This was the stern Courfeyrac who would glare at you if you dared put a _de_ before his name, this was not the charming flirt who had talked his way into the beds of dozens of grisettes. This was the paladin, not the playboy.

Before anyone could stop him, though both Courfeyrac and Combeferre had tried Gavroche had scaled the barricade and was disappearing over the other side.

"Gavroche" a suprisingly feminine voice called out from the base of the barricade. Gavroche paused for a moment, astride the barricade, looked back curiously, and then continued on before the two men could reach him. He was going to collect ammunition for the cause these men so dearly loved, a cause that he in his young heart loved just as passionately; he was getting ammunition to fuel the fight for freedom.

A shot rang out in the night as Gavroche was caught in the light of a streetlamp. A soft groan escaped that child's mouth and Courfeyrac, watching from the barricades tried to wrench himself free from Combeferre's gentle but iron grip. The philosopher would not let his friend throw his life away heedlessly, despite in his own heart there was the fact that Combeferre had a similar longing to recklessly run out there and drag the lovable gamin back to safety. Gavroche stood to his feet again and made his way back to the barricade only for two more shots to ring out and lay him flat once more. He did not rise this time.

The men on the barricades lay in stunned silence, as did the guardsmen as they saw clearly in the lamplight how small the person they shot had been. They made no effort to shoot the revolutionaries as they retrieved the boy's body. The youth who had been present at Marius' death took the young street urchin in his arms. There were tears in his eyes as he struggled, carrying a weight that seemed to heavy for his page-boy build to carry, but the young man refused any help and set the boy down next to Marius before retreating into the shadows to weep. No one disturbed him, they presumed he must have been a close friend to Gavroche, maybe an older brother type of figure amongst the urchins, for the youth was dressed little better than an urchin. The tattered shirt he wore was very loose and large on the young man, though he had it fastidiously tied about the neck.

In silence this youth contemplated many things, and could share them with no one. For, had the men at the barricades known that he was in fact a she, that she being a woman would have disqualified her from fighting and seen her banished to tending the wounded, all would have been for nought. She, Eponine, had hoped to die with Marius, now Marius was dead, and so was Gavroche, and yet she lingered among the living. These two deaths had sent a thousand thoughts bustling through the young woman's head. For both of these men had died valiantly, unafraid, and more than that, they had died fighting for something. Would it not be better to stay alive as long as possible and to try and save others, to try and save the friends of Marius seeing as she had failed to save him. Her death, were it needless, would achieve nothing, her life, were it useful, might change Marius' death from that of a misguided youth to that of a martyr in the eyes of Paris, and maybe even history. Were the revolution won, and freedom achieved, Enjolras would probably erect a statue to her beloved Marius Pontmercy, first to sacrifice his life on the barricades in the fight for freedom. In her head Epnonine saw herself in funereal black sitting at the base of a fine statue in the exact likeness of Marius and gazing at it in silent grieving until she withered away into the night and died of heartbreak, but died knowing she had served his memory well. She was also fueled by a jealous thought, here she was, risking her life to fight for freedom, to fight by Marius' side, and now for his memory, and where was his precious Cosette? Too spineless even to disobey her 'father' to join her lover at the barricades. She may have been robbed of priviledge and pretty things in her adolescence but she was found pride in knowing that there were things she was good at, that were honorable, that Cosette would never dream of doing.

Eponine wiped her tears away, her resolve hardening to granite. She would do as much as she could for the cause that Marius had died for, that would be her tribute to his legacy. And when Cosette, in grieving, went to put flowers on his grave and don the black crepe Eponine could proudly laugh at her and spit on the little lark with impunity. She would have the final say where Marius was concerned.


	2. Barricades at Dawn

Dawn broke over the barricades in a manner that was all too rosy and cheerful for the carnage it was illuminating with its bright rays. The barricade that Enjolras captained was the only one left in the city. The Guardsmen were rallying for another assault, there were so few left alive that no one doubted it would be the final assault. Enjolras dismissed all the women, and all the fathers. They had things to live for outside of the fire that he breathed, the fire of revolution.

Dawn showed to the bleary eyes of the barricade boys the sight of a cannon wheeling towards them. It was the final stroke of their doom. The barricade would be blown to bits by that menace and so would end the revolution that had already swallowed so many lives.

The first fire of the cannon shot into the barricade sending splinters everywhere. One such projectile pierced the heart of Courfeyrac, and he collapsed into Combeferre's arms. His face serene and his life extinguished. Combeferre layed his dearest friend's body to the side, kissing his hands and then folding them across the young man's chest. There were tears that threatened to issue forth, but dare not do so, tears for the fallen comrade. Combeferre kept his composure and continued on with the fight, his will steeled by the memory of his dead friends. Jehan's smiling face flashed through his mind, followed by Joly who had been laughing when a ball had struck him in the chest, and who had even managed to laugh about his wounds before expiring, issuing forth this sally in the face of death "fancy that, I had always felt certain that my death would come from an ague, not from lead poisoning". All these dear friends' faces kept Combeferre's mind keen and his resolve firm.

The volunteer who had arrived after Marius' death had somehow, seemingly divinely, remained unscathed except a few grazes from shrapnel and shot. The blood on the man came more from having carried so many wounded into the cafe than having any injuries of his own. This man, though no one had paid much attention to him had been in the thick of each assault, not as an aggressor towards the guardsmen but as a protector of the men on the barricades. His was the defensive, not the offensive.

As the barricade fell and the few survivors were retreating into the cafe, Combeferre took a shot to the shoulder, and would have fallen from the window he had been firing from had not a surprisingly strong arm pulled him back from the fall that would have lead to his assured death. The man whom the hand belonged to looked around, the gendarmes were already coming into the downstairs portion of the cafe. Quickly he took the reeling Combeferre and securing the man onto his back stealthily scaled his way down the outside wall. He looked around, descrying a hatch that lead to the sewers, it was out of the way, and in a portion where the gendarmes currently weren't. He seized his opportunity, carrying the now unconscious man with him into the sewers.

Inside the cafe the few remaining revolutionaries were being routed out and shot. Enjolras had received a wound that ran through his body cleanly but was bleeding profusely. Eponine, by his side, caught him as he started to reel. He fell unconscious pulling her down with him, and just in time, for at that moment the gendarmes had gained the stairwell and when they reached the room they saw two seemingly dead figures lying on the floor, there was a pool of blood forming around them so they left them for dead and moved on to investigate the rest of the cafe.

Eponine, having watched through half-closed eyes quickly got to her feet and dragging Enjolras, carefully so as not to leave a smear of blood on the floor in his wake managed to hoist the youthfully framed revolutionary onto her shoulders and timing her movements with the expertise of one who has spent most of their life avoiding the sight of others when needed, she managed to carry him safely to an alley. There, she let her hair down and tightened her shirt to show her gender. She put her coat and hat on Enjolras and supported him, dragging him by her side in an upright position so that if anyone passed by they might think it was some rogue and a street urchin girl walking the streets together.

Through various back routes and clever means Eponine managed to securely bring Enjolras to a hovel where the gamins tended to sleep at on rainy nights. It was empty of all but a few of the shyer ones who had fallen asleep there during the rainstorm the night before. She assured them that all would be fine, but not to utter a word about the wounded man she had brought there. She moved his body to a more private area in the small shelter and proceeded to dress his wound as well as she could. He had lost a frightful amount of blood but with the bleeding now staunched he might survive if the wound did not become infected.

The gendarmes had gathered the bodies, still trying to ascertain where the fiery blonde leader who had shot their gunner was. His body could not be found, nor could that of Combeferre. Grantaire finally awoke in the cafe and seeing the carnage around him as he looked down at the rows of bodies, knowing the name of almost every single one of them. The drunk wretched, and then silently left the scene, he had some small vague hope left in him, he had not seen the savage Antinous' body among the fallen, nor that of the philosopher. He left and went to find Madame Hucheloup and be the bearer of the grievous tidings.

With a pounding head and a heavy heart he went to the house where all the women had departed to await the news of the barricades' fate.

Grantaire knocked on the door, his swaggering manners deflated in the face of such atrocities as he had just seen the aftermath of.

Musichetta opened the door, her eyes were red from tears of anxiety that she had shed all through the night. He entered and she shut the door behind him.

He cleared his throat awkwardly as he saw the eyes of a dozen women fixed on him with pleading and trembling expressions.

"They're all dead" he said flatly. He knew not how to say it and make it less painful. He could be witty but now was not the occasion and all smoothness of the tongue had failed him. The women burst into tears.

Madame Hucheloup walked up to Grantaire offering him a glass of wine "All of them?" she asked. She at least was not in tears.

"All except Enjolras and Combeferre, or if they are dead the gendarmes hadn't drug their bodies out from where they made their final stand and added them to the rows of corpses when I left."

Musichetta was doubled over in grief but then she looked up and almost charged at Grantaire.

"You!" she shrieked "How did you survive?" she asked her voice breaking with rage and accusation.

"I didn't fight. I slept through the whole damn thing, and may I be damned for doing so if damnation exists" he said turning and striding out the door. He felt enough loathing for himself as it was, Musichetta's tear-stained face was enough to make him want to take his own life then and there. Madame Hucheloup followed him out of the house, talking with him, trying to calm him down, but to no effect. Had it not been for the timeliness of a certain man's arrival Grantaire no doubt would have left and then found a way to take his own life in his extreme self-hatred and despair.

This man was covered in muck and on his back, also besmirched was the limp form of Combeferre. The two rushed to the man's side and relieved him of his burden. They hastily went inside and the grief of the mourning ladies was overcome by the urgency of tending to the wounded man. The man who had carried Combeferre cleaned himself enough so as to not look or smell so frightening and then after the young man's wounds had been mended as well as the combined knowledge of all present would allow he took Madame Hucheloup aside and spoke with her quietly.

"Madame, I know, I am a stranger and have no right to request anything from you, and believe me, I will repay you for any inconvenience this might incur. But having fought at the barricades last night, if I am apprehended I would like to know that someone is watching over my grandaughter."

The woman nodded solemnly. This man had saved Combeferre's life, if he asked her to climb to the moon she would do her best to follow through with it.

"If you consent I will have her sent here until the pardon from the king for the survivors is issued, once that occurs, if I am still free, I will relieve you of having charge of her. Will you allow it? I have seen the way you care for others, as a respectable matriarch revered and loved by all, I would feel better knowing that if I am taken she is looked after by someone as matchless as yourself."

Madame Hucheloup blushed, despite her age, at the compliment. She did not see herself as matchless, just as a surrogate mother who had lost far too many children in the preceding night.

"Of course good monsieur" she said. "Send her and I will look after her as long as is necessary."

So with those thing settled, Jean Valjean, for that was who the man who had carried Combeferre to safety was. Went home, told Cosette all that she needed to know about the previous night, giving away as little as was possible, and then sent her, with a trusty escort, to the house where Madame Hucheloup was. He then proceeded to arrange all his finances so that if he should be imprisoned or executed all of his earthly belongings would be split between Cosette and charities for the benefit of the poor.

Days passed and Cosette spent them at the house on Rue de Providence with Madame Hucheloup. The other women for the most part had went to their own homes by now, Musichetta lingered. She dare not be alone, she was in too much grief to trust herself to add solitude to her grieving. She did her best to help Madame Hucheloup and she tried to apologize to Grantaire, but he would not listen, or if he did he made no acknowledgement of her words.

Cosette stayed by Combeferre's side when Madame Hucheloup found it necessary to leave it. Grantaire sometimes stayed by his side with her. The two silent guardians of the wounded man. One silent out of shyness and respect, the other shy out of moroseness and loathing. Fortunately for these two silent companions the man they watched over came to consciousness after a couple of days and opened his eyes to see a face that looked like sunshine and a face that looked like dark rain clouds. He knew the darker face and so spoke to it first.

"Grantaire, where am I?" he asked "where are the others?"

Grantaire shook his head "You're fine, they're dead, all but maybe Enjolras, I don't know where he is, but the guardsmen are still scouring Paris for him."

"And me?" he asked.

"They're vaguely trying to find you, though the efforts slacken each day, they say the king will soon pardon the survivors." He said.

"To hell with the king" Combeferre said trying to sit up. His friends were dead, the revolution has failed, and out there somewhere his best friend was probably mentally blaming every single flaw and failure on himself. Combeferre looked at the startled Cosette, she was unused to swearing "pardon mademoiselle" he said apologetically as R helped him into a sitting position. She nodded kindly and left the room to go get some food.

"Who is she?" Combeferre asked after she had exited.

"Her" Grantaire paused for a moment, having to pull the introduction Madame Hucheloup had given him out of the foggy storage banks of his memory. "She's the bit of skirt Marius was enamoured on, you know the one, Cosette! That's her name."

"What's she doing here?" he asked.

"It seems her grandfather drug you through the sewers to safety here, and he needed her to stay with someone in case he were caught for having aided the failed revolution you lot hatched up."

Combeferre shook his head, Grantaire was still cynical, and to him it was a comfort that he was though. At least he wasn't pouring sympathies and platitudes out on him like he knew all the others would as soon as they became aware that he was awake. He dreaded the onslaught of condolences and wanted to slip back into sleep again. But there was Enjolras, somewhere out there his friend was alive, or at least it could be hoped that he was.

"Does anyone know where Enjolras is?" Surely R would have pried under every conceivable rock and searched every possible cranny in Paris to locate his idol.

"No" Grantaire said flatly. Truthfully other than a few inquiries he had not pulled himself out of his melancholy enough to stir to the momentous task fo succeeding where the entire National Guard was failing.

"Well once I get back on my feet we'll go out and find him. After all, poor clueless man, he won't know how to survive on his own for very long. You can't reason people into giving you shelter when you're a wanted man, and appealing to the generosity and good hearts of people is not his forte" he said managing a grin that turned into a grimace as the pain hit him.

"Easy there 'ferre, we'll find him alright" he said comfortingly, helping his friend to an easier position.

Cosette returned with the food, meager as it was, and Combeferre ate with hearty apetite despite his anxiety and grief. He was still hungry after two bowls of stew so Cosette silently sacrificed her own portion to him. After eating he fell back to sleep and Grantaire and Cosette went to the table to eat.

"Are you not hungry?" he said noticing her bowl was empty as she sat nibbling at a piece of bread.

She shook her head.

Grantaire was thoughtful for a moment, he looked at the empty pot, looked at his bowl, then to the door to the room where Combeferre was and finally back at Cosette.

"Here, take it, I'm not hungry" he said pushing his bowl to her.

"But monsieur..." she began to protest.

"I insist" he said.

She smiled softly "merci" she said graciously.

Grantaire left the room shortly thereafter. He was becoming more alarmed by how truly good people could be. The man who had saved Combeferre had no reason to do so except that he didn't want to see a noble life ended pointlessly. Madame Hucheloup would have been a great deal better off if she wasn't sheltering wanted revolutionaries. And this Cosette, she had no earthly reason to sacrifice her food to a stranger. There was also the fact that somewhere out there in the wide city of Paris someone was sheltering Enjolras from the prying pursuit of the guardsmen.


	3. Bring Him Home

To continue where we left off with Eponine and her injured charge; after she had drug his body into the shelter, which was in fact an old long since abandoned groundskeeper's shed that had in it two rooms, the room in the back being little bigger than a cupboard and very cold, though also very dry. It had been the storage place seeds and iron tools, things that it would not do to have getting damp. That small compartment is where Eponine took to nursing Enjolras back to health.

First of all she sent a couple of gamins out to find food, handing them the few sous she had. Then she got two more to fetch her some water, the children didn't ask questions. There was in Eponine an air of command that even they respected, and besides, it was whispered among them that the dying man she had carried in was one of the revolutionaries and was wanted by the National Guardsmen, and anything to flout the king delighted these radiant imps.

With the water, and while waiting for the food to be acquired, she stripped down the body of the young revolutionary and cleaned him from head to toe. He had been so covered in blood that the flies were becoming unbearable even for her, and she felt that the least he could have is a clean death, not dying caked in dirt and blood. She wasn't sure if he was dying or not, but she hoped he wasn't. The horrors of the night before had showed her that death was not the painless affair it had been made out to be, at least not when its others you have to watch die.

Days passed and Enjolras still did not wake. He fell into a deep and feverish sleep that concerned Eponine far more than his injury did. She went out of the room for a while and after setting one of the more timid girls to watch over him she set out. She went down back routes and narrow alleys, trying to find food for herself and trying to find a physician she could trust for advice without having to answer too many questions.

At last, she found herself in front of the school of medicine at the university and walking forward with the air of a coquettish grisette she went to one of the young men and asked.

"Messieur" she said sweetly, despite being completely exhausted she was still quite the actress "I was wondering if you could answer a question I had?"

The young man stopped in his tracks and turned aside to talk with this dark-haired beauty, albeit a beauty in rags, but still attractive all the same.

"I am at your service mademoiselle" he said walking alongside her, smiling and his eyes fixed on her.

"I have a brother, he got himself injured working, he works at the gunshop and they were testing a rife and he was shot in the shoulder, the wound is clean but he has a fever now, what should I do for him?" She had rehearsed the story in her head and though it would not hold up under a great deal of questioning, she hoped the medical student would be more fascinated by the charming smiles she was casting about than by her story.

The student was silent for a moment and after a few further questions on the state of the young man in question he gave his advice as to what he would do. Her mission accomplished Eponine was about to take flight and rush to get the prescribed items to care for her charge when she felt the medic take her hand.

"Mademoiselle, I do not know your name" he said smiling at her.

"My name is of no importance, call me the wind for I am here one day and gone the next" and to the shock of the student she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss before disappearing, leaving the typically shy student thoroughly stunned. He would often relate the tale of the winsome girl who was the Wind to his friends who laughed and thought him mad and called the girl a phantom of his imagination.

Eponine, after acquiring the recommended medicines, which had involved the clever picking of more than one pocket and some other nefarious deeds, finally returned to the hovel around sunset.

Enjolras still lay unconscious, his brow wet, though the girl she had left in charge of his care had taken to wiping it religiously. This quiet girl was more familiar with illness than she let on, for it had been a frightful fever that had robbed her of her father, mother, and two brothers. She was a silent but unassailable guardian of Enjolras, precisely the kind he needed when the gendarmes were still seeking him with all their forces.

Eponine administered the medicines as she had been instructed to by the apothecary and she waited. Her and Amelia, her silent companion, watched over the wounded man with patience. Other gamins came in and out as the weather dictated to them and they brought food for the two girls and news from the streets.

Four days after the fall of the barricades, around noon on that day, Enjolras stirred. He saw peering down at him two faces, one was familiar but only vaguely so, the other was a face entirely unknown to him, though he saw it as one of the many faces he had fought for, it was the face of the poor and oppressed.

He tried to sit up, the blanket he had been under falling off and revealing his bare chest. He looked down and then looked at the two young women present and blushed a bit. He had never been with exposed skin in front of the sight of a woman.

"Where am I?" he asked his voice no less commanding than had he been in the prime of health with no injury, leading a meeting at the cafe.

"You're safe is the main thing" Eponine said "does it really matter?" she asked.

"Safe? safe from what?" he asked, the fragments of the night at the barricades were only slowly filtering into his mind.

"From the national guardsmen who are hunting you" Eponine responded flatly.

"I see" he said nodding thoughtfully "how long?" he asked.

"Since the debacle at the barricades, four days" she said "and you've slept for all of them."

"How did I get here?" he asked the smell of dirt making its way into his consciousness enough to indicate to him that he was in some primitive abode no doubt near earthy projects.

"Mademoiselle brought you here" Amelia volunteered due to Eponine's silence.

She nodded "yes. I brought you here from the cafe after you were shot."

If Enjolras had been vaguely stunned by all the things he was discovering upon waking, this was the ultimate jolt. He looked at the petite woman in front of him and stared in shock.

"But what were you doing there, who are you?" he asked.

"I fought beside you, I was there when Marius died, I carried Gavroche's body into the cafe and my name monsieur Enjolras is Eponine" she said a hint of defiance of all his doubts adding a crispness to her voice.

Enjolras was perfectly speechless for a minute, lost in thought before he turned his keen blue eyes onto Eponine and said "thank you" his voice was soft and sincere. He had no idea why she had done the things she had done and honestly he felt it was none of his business, not at the moment at least, so the only thing that he could do was to thank her for what she had done.

She laughed, not a mocking laugh, but a laugh of relief and surprise "you're welcome" she said.

"The others, are any of them alive?" he asked.

"None that I know of." she said somberly. "It would seem the little war against the king was for nought" her words were bitter and Enjolras felt them like fresh piercings to his flesh, far more painful than the actual wound in his shoulder ever could have been. He slumped back down onto the mat he had been sleeping on and tightly closed his eyes, he wanted to wake from this dream. This wasn't how things were supposed to happen, he wasn't supposed to survive while all the others died fighting for the cause. He was supposed to die with them, or if he was going to live it should have been in victory with Combeferre and Courfeyrac surviving along with him to be the perenials that would sprout up again and start a new revolution.

Amelia came in with some food, Enjolras refused it.

"You have to eat monsieur" the young girl protested. He looked at her curiously.

"Why do you care?" he asked more harshly than he had meant to.

"Because you care" she said sitting down in front of him with the chunk of bread and bowl of stew in her hands.

Enjolras studied the girl long and hard, his face pensive and concentrated and at last he reached out and took the bread, splititng the piece and handing the other half to her.

"No, no" she said shaking her head "I have eaten today, you haven't eaten in four days, you take it all" she said with quiet sweetness but unassailable resolve. Enjolras would eat his food and eat all of it or Eponine and Amelia would force him to if it came to it.

He sighed, not realizing how famished he was until he had swallowed his first bite of bread. He ate the rest of his meal with a measured pace and upon finishing tried to get up to put his bowl in the washtub he saw sitting in the corner with a few spare dishes sitting next to it. Amelia robbed him of this chore by taking the bowl and spoon from him.

Enjolras shook his head, he was still bewildered as to why these people who lived on the very bottomest wrung of the social ladder were caring for him and not handing him over to the gendarmes and collecting the bounty he no doubt had on his head.

Eponine had asked herself the same question quite often in the past four days, the only answer that she could avail herself of was Marius. It was for the honor of his memory that she was tending his friend and not turning him over to the law.


	4. Prudence and Providence

Two days later with both invalids recovering under the watchful eye of their guardians of the fairer sex a young gamin came into the hovel where Enjolras and Eponine were.

"They've pardoned the survivors" he announced "I even nicked the paper for you" he said handing it to Eponine who passed it in turn to Enjolras. He scanned the page reading it quickly. "Damn the king and damn his pardon! if he thinks that I, and whoever else might have survived, are simply going to give up on freeing the oppressed because he in his pompous 'generosity' has 'pardoned' us from the 'crime' of trying to make our homeland a fitter place to live he is entirely wrong!"

The gamin laughed "That's the spirit! no wonder Gavroche thought you were great stuff" the boy said before leaving the room.

"Look" she said pointing to the paper where it listed the survivors who were pardoned by name before adding 'and all others whose names and aliases are at present unknown'. "Your friend the drunkard, and the quiet one, they're listed as living." She said.

Enjolras snatched the paper from her 'the quiet one' was Combeferre and at the sight of that name his spirits rose. "I have to get out of here, I have to find Combeferre" he said getting to his feet before falling back to the bed, he was weaker than he had imagined.

"Clothes" he said "I need clothes, what happened to the ones I had on?" he asked without thinking of the immediate implications of such a question.

"After I gave you a bath" she began before he interupted.

"After you what mademoiselle?" he asked pulling his sheet up to his neck a look of sheer alarm on his face. She laughed hysterically at his blushing cheeks and indignant drawing up of the sheet.

"After I gave you a bath" she managed between laughs "I cleaned your clothes and sold your coat to help pay for food and medicine, I hope you don't Monsieur Prudery" she said laughing at him.

He shook his head, still gripping his sheet though less tightly now. He felt slightly defiled but he knew he owed this woman as much gratitude as he could summon, she had saved his life.

"So what clothes do I have left?" he asked after waiting for her laughter to die down.

"Your trousers aren't too badly stained and you can have the shirt I wore at the barricades" she said. She had since found herself an old dress to wear in place of the shirt and breeches she had worn that night.

He looked at her for a long moment "Merci" he said sincerely.

She shook her head. She didn't want his thanks, she wasn't certain what she wanted. She knew she did not want the pity of another rich man's son. Gratitude of a genuine nature was not something she was used to.

She left him for a while to get some rest. She took to walking the streets a little. She finally let the grief over losing Marius sweep over her and she walked down a dark alley slowly, her tears falling like the rain. With Enjolras on the mend and a pardon granted she had no distraction to take her mind off of losing him. She was so upset that she failed to look up as she bumped into a man as she rounded the corner.

"I beg your pardon mademoiselle" came a gentle voice that Eponine vaguely recognized. She looked up and saw the face of Monsieur Fauchelevent. The volunteer from the barricades. He had been hurrying to the house where Cosette was.

"It was my fault monsieur" she said wiping her eyes quickly.

Monsieur Fauchelevent saw that her face was familiar to him "Mademoiselle" he said taking out his handkerchief and handing it to her "what is the matter?"

"Nothing" she shook her head and then looked to the ground.

"I feel certain something must be the matter, if you would care to speak of it, I will listen. I know your face and once before I made the mistake of ignoring one's suffering because I had need of haste, I do not wish to do so again." He offered her his arm to lean on.

She sighed, speaking nothing for a long time.

"Messieur, you were at the barricades" she said after a while.

"I was" he replied softly. The horror of that night swept back over him.

"A man died there that I cared for" she said "his name was Marius, and without him I am unsure what I ought to do with my life now. I had hoped to die with him, but now that I live I know not what to do with my life." She said sighing.

Monsieur Fauchelevent's face went through a series of changes. Had this Marius been dallying with Cosette's affections as well as those of this young woman or was her love unrequited.

Sensing his thoughts she explained "he was faithful to you charge, he didn't so much as look at me with an eye that saw anything but a friend" she said with a bitter laugh.

Monsieur Fauchelevent was also more concerned in addition to being relieved by her declaration. He hadn't noticed but she had been leading him towards the park.

"Monsieur" she said as they stopped "do you know where the other survivors are?"

He nodded "Some of them" he elaborated.

"I have had Enjolras under my care for the past week, I think he would be more comfortable if I took him to see his comrades and also recover better were he sheltered in something other than a gardener's hovel" she said as she started down the overgrown path to the shed. Monsieur Fauchelevent followed. The two of them entered the hovel. Amelia looked up at their entrance. Enjolras was asleep, the wound in his chest shown in the dim light inside, it was healing, the flesh was pink and fresh and it was mending without infection.

Monsieur Fauchelevent looked down at the youth and was moved deeply. This leader who bore so much of the responsibility for what had happened. He could have blamed him for the death of his darling Cosette's sweetheart, instead moved with pity he bent down and kissed the boys brow. Eponine watched in silence, there was something majestic about Monsieur Fauchelevent's magnamity. The boy stirred, for in the old man's eyes this was simply a boy he looked on, a youth at the beginning of his life.

"Monsieur?" he said looking up at him curiously before he recognized the face of the volunteer from the barricades. "You also live?" he asked.

Monsieur Fauchelevent nodded "I've come at Eponine's request to take you to where your friends are" he said helping the boy to a sitting position.

"You are going to take messieur away?" Amelia asked saddened.

Enjolras looked at the young girl, she could hardly be twelve, and yet she had tended to him with all the care and knowledge of a mother and veteran.

"Where I go you may follow if you like" he said to her with a small smile before he managed to raise himself to his feet, Monsieur Fauchelevent assisting. "Mademoiselle" he said turning to Eponine "might I please have that shirt you promised."

She handed him the shirt and groaning he slipped it on, using his arms pained the wound in his chest. Eponine came over and buttoned the garment for him, and he did not protest. He was unaccustomed to needing help but he felt grateful for all the help she had given. Monsieur Fauchelevent helped him to the door and then Enjolras stopped him and turned, looking at Eponine "Aren't you coming?" he asked genuinely curious, for some reason he had felt that she was. He didn't feel like this was the conclusion, it was too sudden. And with all but one or two friends dead he had grown to see Eponine as a new friend, someone else who had survived the horrors of the barricades and who understood, a fellow in arms.

She paused and then took his other side, assisting the aging Monsieur Fauchelevent with the burden of helping Enjolras while Amelia trailed behind. Together the four of them made their way to the Rue de Providence and helped Enjolras inside, no sooner had he entered the door than Combeferre stumbled to his feet and embraced his friend around the shoulders, even though it pained his own wound to make the movement.

"Enjolras" he said in relief and disbelief.

"Combeferre" he said resting his head on the man's shoulder for the briefest of moments. That one jesture told Combeferre all he needed to know, Enjolras was burdened by guilt and recrimination by doubt and by confusion over why his dreams had not come to realities as he had believed they would.

Grantaire came out of the kitchen where he had been talking with Madame Hucheloup, he saw Enjolras and then hung his head. Enjolras had told him to sleep off the absinthe and to not fight, but he still felt ashamed for doing so. Enjolras went forward without the aid of the others and went to Grantaire and offered him his hand in a small gesture of friendship. Grantaire stared at it for a moment before seizing it and kissing it as if it were the hand of the pope absolving him of his sins. The quiet of the scene was interupted as Madame Hucheloup trundled in and catching sight of the blonde youth made an exclamation before rushing to him and hugging him, placing a kiss on his brow and calling him her 'dear boy'.

Eponine was about to slip out of the room and leave this touching scene to those it belonged to when Enjolras went to her while she was putting her hand to the door knob.

"Were you going to leave without allowing me to thank you?" he asked.

"I was trying to" she said with a weak smile "I do not need your thanks."

"Please mademoiselle, is there anything that I can do to assist you? I owe you my life, you cared for me when I was a wanted man, let me know how I may repay you?" he asked.

She looked up at him. She was silent, she had been of service to a man before, and he had forgotten her, not so with this one. Though there was no love involved here Eponine keenly felt Enjolras' fineness of manners and spirit. He was a true gentleman.

"There is nothing at present" she replied.

"Then do not hesitate to let me know if I can assist you in any way should something arise" he said bowing at the waist to her. A gesture of deference that Enjolras never made except to the invisible figure of his motherland. She smiled.

"I'll come by and see how you're doing every now and then" she said to him as he opened the door for her.

"Farewell mademoiselle Eponine" he said as she stepped outside.

"Farewell monsieur de prudery" she said laughing to lighten the mood, and even making Enjolras' lips tug ever so imperceivably towards a smile. She was as much unlike anything he had ever known before as he was unlike anything she had ever known.

Combeferre and the others watched their short exchange with mouths agape and eyebrows raised. Enjolras had bowed, he had paid notice to a woman, maybe death had sorted out his priorities Grantaire thought with irony. Enjolras sat down next to Combeferre and was silent until Valjean and Cosette, who had been greeting each other in the kitchen as she got the food ready to serve, came out carrying the stew and the bread.

Musichetta had set the table and they put out the food on it.

Enjolras looked curiously at the man and the girl.

"Enjolras, this is monsieur Fauchelevent and his grand-daughter mademoiselle Cosette" Grantaire provided.

"Cosette?" Enjolras said not sure why the name was so familiar to him, he felt certain he had never before seen this girl in his life.

"Yes, the same one that Marius was enamoured over" Grantaire added.

After the pleasantries of introductions and the meal had both passed Enjolras was equipped with a bed in the same room as Combeferre. The two were up talking longer than was healthy for their delicate state of recovering. At last Musichetta came out from her room in her dressing gown and told the two of them that if they did not go to bed she would hit them over the head and drag them to their beds.

The two wounded men got up, one assisting the other and went to their room.

"So, who was that girl who brought you here?" Combeferre asked as he lay down on his bed.

"Eponine?" he responded.

"I don't know, you tell me" he said allowing himself a sly grin that Enjolras fortunately did not see.

"Yes, she was at the barricades" at this Combeferre sat up.

"She was?" he asked.

"Yes, she disguised herself as a man, something to do with Marius, she didn't say much about it" he said blowing out the candle and taking his shirt off with a small groan.

Combeferre didn't ask anymore, but the image of his best friend bowing to the young woman fed the more frivolous side of his imagination as he fell asleep, he almost saw his friend having a romance, and then he mentally laughed at himself. This was Enjolras, unless Lady Liberty was made flesh the man would remain as chaste as Christ himself.


	5. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

Amelia made herself the personal servant of the survivors, silent and quick, she was there with whatever they might need, usually before they asked for it. She made their beds, changed their bandages, and took a load of chores off of Madame Hucheloup's hands.

Several days had passed since Enjolras had been installed in the house. He did his best to be useful but far too often he had time to think and this would send him into a melancholy mood that only Combeferre seemed able to alleviate.

During one such bout with depression a face appeared at the window, waved, and then knocked on the door. It was Eponine, Amelia got the door and greeted her happily.

"How are the invalids?" she asked sauntering up to the table where Combeferre and Enjolras sat.

"Good morning Eponine" Combeferre said politely.

"Good morning to you both" she said with a smile. "What is the matter monsieur prudery" she asked laughing as she reached over and poked the arm Enjolras was leaning on with her finger.

He looked up "Nothing mademoiselle" he said managing a polite smile but still feeling too solemn and sullen to bother with pleasantries.

"For God's sake Enjolras" Combeferre exclaimed "have some manners."

Enjolras sat up straight "I'm sorry, what would you have me do, talk of the weather when our revolution has failed?" He asked bitterly "Shall I laugh at frail jokes when a monarch still oppresses the people? Should I drink with Grantaire and try to forget all that has happened, all that should have been accomplished but wasn't. Shall I jest while Patria still lays in chains? While our motherland is still..." The words were interupted, Grantaire, who had been sitting silently by Enjolras' side had struck the man in the face.

"God damn you, if God exists, if not may the devil take you" Grantaire said. "Your friends, the men who followed you are dead and lying in the dust and all you can grieve for is your pathetic failed revolution."

Grantaire stormed to the back of the house heading towards the back door planning on grabbing a bottle of wine from the kitchens before going somewhere away from the madness he saw in Enjolras' cold behavior, and quietly drinking himself into oblivion.

Enjolras and the others sat in stunned silence. At last the chief rose to his feet saying briskly "I need some fresh air" and heading towards the door. Eponine followed. He still needed someone to look after him and Combeferre was in no better shape than he was himself.

"I will go with you" she said as they walked out the door.

"As you like" he said.

The two walked in silence for a long ways before he at last spoke, he had to get it off his chest.

"He thinks I don't care about the lives I lead to the grave" he said "but I do, they were my brothers in arms, they were following me, and yet I live and they are dead. Don't ask my why the Supreme Being ordained it so, but yet I live and those who would have made better survivors lay dead." He sighed. "I am sorry, I should not be burdening you with these things, I have already said too much, and especially to you, who have done so much already."

She shook her head "I don't mind, and you seem to be in need of speaking about these things."

He shook his own head "Perhaps, but not now, I would like to know a bit more about the woman who cared for me for six days and asks no thanks from me for it" he said. In truth, while he was curious about Eponine, he was also more than a little anxious to talk of things other than his failed uprising and fallen friends.

"Me?" she asked "there is not much to tell and even less that would interest a fine gentleman like you" she said with a slight tease in her voice.

"Truly, I would like to know" Enjolras said.

Eponine briefly described the type of characters she had grown up with, her mother and father, the brother she hardly recalled, and Azelma, her sister, the only one she spoke of with much favor. Enjolras listened, baffled by how someone so downtrodden could be so kind, the example certainly had not come from anyone in her childhood. She talke of how Marius was the first example of something unknown to her until that point; a gentleman.

"You are extraordinary" he said after she had finished "you are fighting against the caste you were born to. If only the world were filled with people of your spirit" he said looking off across the distance, no longer there in spirit, he saw before him the people rising and throwing off tyranny across the globe, not just in France, though France he felt was his own personal concern.

"And you sir" she said laughing "are absurd. You walk around with your head in clouds and seem to take no note at all of the people you walk amongst except as people who could potentially fight the oppression that exists. I understand why your friend slapped you" she said. She did not fear his rejection, she did not fear much of anything now, having lost so much.

He looked at her curiously, she was more frank than he had imagined. "I suppose I may seem that way to some, but I consider it my duty to free my homeland." He said with quiet solidness.

"You might try living amongst the rest of us while you do that" she teased. "You're so lofty with your ideas that I can see why Grantaire thought you cold and struck you for your hard heart. You grieve for your failed revolution, but what of your fallen friends? Do you grieve for them as individuals or just as casualties of your cause?" she asked.

Enjolras paused, he did not even know the answer to that question himself. They walked on in silence for some way.

"Shall I escort you home?" he asked her. He now knew that she was born to the scum of the earth, but he did not care, in his eyes she was worthy of respect and of being treated like a lady. She was independent and forthwright and this struck him as admirable in a person, even if they did not agree.

"If I had a home I would say yes" she said laughing.

"Where do you stay?" he asked curiously.

"Anywhere I can" she said.

"I can vouch for the house I am in being happy to be your place of shelter" he said.

"Alright, tonight I'll sleep there, tomorrow, who knows, I am the wind" she said laughing, vaguely reminded of the medical student she had kissed in thanks for his information on treating Enjolras' wounds.

As Grantaire had barreled through the kitchens to grab the wine and leave he had been spotted by Cosette.

"Monsieur" she said her gentle voice floating to him. He looked up, he was caught, no hasty escape now. "What is wrong?" she asked coming to his side, her wide innocent eyes filled with warmth and compassion.

"Nothing mademoiselle" he said moving to leave, he paused, and looked back at her. The poor sheltered lark, she never seemed to leave the house. "Would you like to go for a walk to the park with me?" he asked on a whim.

Cosette paused, her papa was out, she could turn down the offer, but why? She had been staying under the same roof as Grantaire for over a week now and he had been nothing but kind and civil to her, despite the reputation he apparently had.

"Thank you" she said taking the arm he had offered her.

Together the two silently strolled the shaded avenues that lead to the park and there they sat down. Cosette feeling compelled to break the silence that hung over them talked of her life and of Marius and of how good her papa was, all the things she had seen him do. This conversation finally cast some illumination on the quiet figure that was Monsieur Fauchelevent. Grantaire listened eagerly, not saying a word, and Cosette found joy in being able to speak freely and not feel her words were unwarranted or unwanted.

The took a turn around the park, allowing her to finish all she had to say and leaving Grantaire some silence for contemplation. If half of what Cosette said of Monsieur Fauchelevent was true, then he would have to reform his ideas of the world. This man, and his adopted daughter, were so very kind and generous and good-hearted; it was shocking. Grantaire had been content to believe that no one better, and no one worse, than him existed in the world, that all were reprobate and dissolute, some were just better at hiding it than others. But here was this pure-hearted fresh-faced maiden and her saintly father come along to dash his paradigm to the ground and prove to him that goodness could be found in the human race, and goodness in abundance.

As they reached the door, having returned by way of the street in front, not the alley that ran past the back door, they caught sight of Enjolras and Eponine returning from their walk. The four converged in front of the door. Enjolras and Grantaire eyed each other in cold civility. Eponine eyed Cosette with derision, Cosette looked on Eponine with curiousity.


	6. Grace

Grantaire broke the silence by simply saying "Allow me to get the door" and then opening the door for Enjolras and Eponine. He followed them, leading Cosette inside.

Combeferre looked up from the game of checkers he had been playing with Amelia. He had sort of adopted the girl that the others took for granted and had started to teach her to read and to teach her better arithmetic than she possessed.

"Have you two cooled down enough to be rational once more?" he asked looking at Grantaire and then at Enjolras.

Grantaire shrugged, Enjolras remained impassive and the two women were both lost in thought. Eponine was growing more and more angry with the sight of Cosette, how dare she be out walking with a rake like Grantaire so soon after losing Marius, she wasn't worthy of his memory, of having been the woman he loved instead of her.

Enjolras sat down beside Combeferre and he and Amelia teamed up against the philosopher in a round of checkers. Grantaire had disappeared for a while and returned with a bottle of wine.

"Shall we be friends?" he said offering the bottle towards Enjolras, despite the fact that he knew the man never drank. The giving of alcohol, the only thing he prized, was the only vehicle for reconciliation that he knew. Enjolras paused, and with him the entire room watched the exchange anxiously. He took the wine and poured some into a glass that Amelia had fetched when no one seemed to be paying attention to her, she was constantly doing that sort of thing.

"Friends" he said raising the glass and taking a sip of wine. Grantaire smiled and sat down.

"What about you?" he said turning to Cosette who had been standing by watching the whole scene with mild confusion and anxiety.

She shook her head. "No thank you monsieur" she said politely. So politely that her voice sounded almost cold and indifferent as she sat down in a chair in the corner with a book.

"I'll have some" Eponine said, a little louder than was necessary. She took a long swallow from the bottle, setting it down and looking at Cosette, who had a vaguely alarmed expression on her face. She had never seen a woman drink like that before. "What's the matter?" Eponine said with a hint of viciousness in her tone "not ladylike enough to suit you?" she said before taking the bottle, curtsying to Cosette and then trying to daintily sip out of the bottle. Cosette simply stared in startled surprise. "At least I am faithful to Marius' memory, thats more than I can say for you, you simpering brat who pretends to be beorgeois when your mother was a common hussy" she said.

Cosette now looked very alarmed and simply got to her feet and left, going up to her room silently.

"If you say something like that to her again" Grantaire warned, resting the bottle from Eponine's hand "I'll strike you, woman or no" he said a quietly angry tone before taking the bottle away and going to his own room.

"What is it going to take for us all to get along?" Combeferre said in exasperation. "First its you and Grantaire, now its Eponine and Cosette with Grantaire defending Cosette. You would think we were all children squabbling in a sandpit instead of sane adults." He sighed and got up turning to Amelia "Come on, let's go practice your numbers some more" he said and they went into the small vegetable garden behind the house where they did their studying on warm days.

Enjolras respected Eponine for all that she had done for him, but right now, he was a bit disgusted with her, after all, Cosette had done nothing to provoke her attack, nothing other than a walk in the park with Grantaire.

"You musn't presume that all people grieve alike, I would have thought you would understand that from the differences you saw at the barricades." He collected his thoughts "would you say that I do not mourn my friends?" She looked at him shaking her head only half aware of the question. "Then do not let your jealousy lead you to believe that she does not mourn Marius as much as you do." Enjolras looked at her and then left to go to his room.

Eponine left the house, she felt mean and low, she felt like an idiot as well. She had just lashed out at Cosette for all the pain that she had unintentionally endured at the girl's hands. But it was not Cosette's fault, she was not one of the Fates, so how could she blame her. She saw how irrational she had appeared as she walked alone down the street wrapped up in her thoughts.

Grantaire, after finding that the wine no longer held his attention as he had hoped finally succumbed and went upstairs, gently knocking on the door to Cosette's room. She rose, wiped her eyes, for she had been crying, and then opened the door.

"I was wondering how you were?" he asked feeling a little awkward, but that awkward or no, someone ought to check on her.

She smiled a bit at his concern. "Thank you, I am better now" she said standing with her hands on the door as he leaned against the frame.

"I'm sorry you had to hear all that" he said. He didn't know why he was apologizing to her, it's not like he hadn't heard worse things said in front of him and done nothing. Maybe it was the fact that Cosette was so undeserving of the abuse she had just received.

"Don't be too hard on Eponine, she has lived a cruel and hard life. Her parents were the innkeepers I worked for when I was young" she said. She had mentioned in their walk how Monsieur Fauchelevent had rescued her from the Thernadiers. Grantaire shuddered.

"Well if she ever offends you again, let me know, I'll throw her out for you" he said with a small grin.

Cosette didn't quite know whether he was joking or not, she internally wished she had a better sense of humor and could judge people's attitudes better. She simply smiled at him and then said "thank you for your concern, I think I may lay down for a while now." She moved to close the door, he nodded.

"Rest well" he said not knowing what else to say, and then he returned downstairs to his room to finish off his bottle of wine.

A few days later, while Amelia was serving supper Eponine came in. It had been raining for an hour outside and she was drenched.

"What's she doing here again?" Grantaire asked bitterly. Enjolras ignored him, as did the others. Monsieur Fauchelevent had quickly brought her over to the fire.

"Rest here a while" he said kindly as he grabbed a blanket and put it around her shoulders. Eponine was stunned, and felt worse than ever. Here was the man who was responsible for Cosette being better off than her, for Cosette having been something worth Marius noticing, the real author of all her miseries, and he was caring for her and being gentle towards her as not even Marius had been.

Cosette came over to her with a bowl of soup.

"I have some spare dresses with me, you can have one to change into" she offered.

Eponine was stunned and started to decline, her pride being stung by what she felt was an offer of charity not of friendship. She also still felt unable to meet Cosette's gaze because of how she had behaved at their last meeting.

"I don't need and of your" she stopped mid-sentence, Enjolras had silently come over to the fire place and was standing behind her. She didn't know why, but she felt like he was some grand judge who was in charge of seeing whether she would live up to her promise to honor the memory of Marius. She thought of Marius, he had cared for her as a friend, true he had been thoughtless, but he had given her friendship, and he would have wanted her to do the same to Cosette. Enjolras' words came back to her from a few days before. She looked at him, and then at Cosette "thank you" she said standing to her feet. Cosette smiled brightly and led Eponine up to her room.

"If you need anything just let me know" Cosette said cheerfully.

"Which of these am I to borrow?" she asked looking in stunned awe at the collection of fine dresses that were in Cosette's trunk.

"Whichever you like" she replied in a tone of surprise, as if she had presumed that Eponine would know that.

She shook her head "I can't wear these" she said softly.

"Why not?" Cosette asked.

"They're dresses for a lady to wear, and I'm not one" she turned to go, but found Cosette blocking her and then gently leading her back over to the trunk.

"You can be if you want to be" she said confidently. "Eponine, we were children together, I was no better than you, I still am no better than you. But if I can be taken for a lady there's no reason you can't as well" she said bending down and pulling out a sumptious dark forest green dress. "Here, wear this, unless there is another than you prefer." She smiled and then left the room, giving Eponine privacy to change. It took her a few minutes to recover from the shock she had just had, but at last Eponine had changed and was standing in front of the mirror looking at herself. She laughed. She did not look like herself at all. She went to the door and found Cosette standing there when she opened it.

"Does it fit alright?" she asked with genuine caring in her tone. Eponine looked a bit surrpised, the wonders did not cease.

"It's fine" she said.

"Do you want me to help you with your hair?" Cosette asked. She had never had a friend outside of the convent before, and inside there had been no mirrors or ways to see how your hair was put up, so every girl had helped every other girl put her hair together in the mornings.

Eponine shrugged, she didn't know what to make of Cosette but it was her generosity that she owed no longer being shivering in a cold dress to, so she might as well let the girl fix her hair, what could it hurt. Happily Cosette sat her down in front of the mirror and did her hair in various arrangements until she saw Eponine smile at one, she chose that one, it was a simply braid,leaving a few loose strands to frame the face. Eponine was silent, she had far too much to think on. And Cosette too remained silent, for she did not want to offend someone who was disposed to dislike her as things already stood.

Eponine went downstairs while Cosette remained upstairs putting her combs and the like away. She had felt the temptation of so many valuables so unguarded a little too much for her and had retreated downstairs to avoid temptation. As she entered Combeferre smiled, she had cleaned up quite well, and looked like a lady, now if she could act like the dress she wore maybe there would be peace amongst the survivors at last. Enjolras looked up from his book that he had been reading while he finished his soup and his eyes stayed on Eponine for a few long seconds.

"Would you like my chair?" he offered. The others turned and looked from Enjolras to Eponine. Enjolras was behaving as a man would towards a woman, which meant he had noticed she was a woman, something that made Madame Hucheloup smile a bit, and caused Combeferre to internally grin, he dare not display the grin on his face, for he didn't want to risk ruining things for his friend by such things out to him by word or deed. Grantaire just looked slightly surprised and then smirked to himself as he took a swallow of wine.

Eponine took the chair and Enjolras pushed it in for her. He then retreated to the chair in the corner and read, occasionally glancing up at his friends who were seated at the table. Cosette came downstairs and took the seat Amelia had just vacated in between Grantaire and her own papa. He couldn't come to grips with the fact that Cosette had lent her clothes to Eponine who had been so cruel to her just a few days before. What was it that Monsieur Fauchelevent and Cosette knew that he did not. He had no experience with kindness, giving or receiving it, and had been content to live for himself alone, believing that all others did the same. He was baffled by this young woman and her papa.

He often looked at Cosette while they ate together and Combeferre wore a perpetual look as if he were about to burst out into jolly laughter at any moment. He, the constant observer, was seeing the first sprouts of what were potential romances, and it made him joyful for his friends. Grantaire needed someone to care for him and believe in him, and if Cosette were to do that for him, who knows, perhaps something might come of it once she finished her grieving over Marius and realized that she was still young and still pretty and that her life was by no means over. Other young men existed would take an interest in her.

As for Enjolras, that was too confusing for even Combeferre to contemplate it long. After all, he had never been interested in women before, why would he change now? He wrote it off as simple gratitude for all that Eponine had done for the man, though he secretly hoped that his friend would finally fall in love and start behaving like a human at last. The cold slab of marble seemed out of place in the wake of the barricades.

Combeferre had had his priorities sorted out by the experience of losing most of his friends. He decided to live his life to honor them. He never saw a girl without thinking of Courfeyrac, he never smelt flowers without thinking of Jehan, he never saw Cosette without thinking of Marius, he never walked near a fan-making shop or saw a man of the lower class reading without thinking of Feuilly and he never saw a brawl without a grin and thoughts of Bahorel. Anything unlucky reminded him of Bossuet, anything medical reminded him of Joly, and the sight of Musichetta reminded him of both of those men. He knew that eventually the pain would subside so he bore it all with good grace and seldom let depression seize him. He fell back into the habits that had originally led him to join the Les Amis, the desire to educate the downtrodden. His first project in that direction was the young Amelia. If you taught one person then that one person could go and teach others and through actions like this the world might be changed. Fighting did not seem to be the answer, it achieved nothing but death on both sides from what Combeferre had seen. It was kindness, kindness like that which Monsieur Fauchelevent and his daughter had shown him and the others, that would change the world much faster, and far more permanently than any number of barricades.

After supper when he and Enjolras were going to bed the latter spoke and his words set fire to Combeferre's imagination.

"Eponine" he had said "she looked very different in that dress, I think it must have done something to her eyes."

The candle had already been blown out when these words were spoken which served both of the men. For Combeferre's mouth had fallen agape, and Enjolras had felt a bit absurd and had blushed. To Combeferre, that one sentence spoke volumes. Enjolras had noticed a woman, called her by her name, and commented on what she was wearing and how her eyes looked. Now if he had ever spoke the exact same words to said woman, or any other, they would no doubt have been insulted, the words were very clumsy and very easy to misconstrue into an insult, but he had remarked on a woman. 'Courfeyrac, if only you were here to see this' he thought to himself before falling asleep, the image of his deceased friend's laughing face playing in his mind.


	7. My Friends Will Sing No More

A month had passed since the barricades and at long last Madame Hucheloup called together the three survivors, Eponine and Amelia. Cosette and her papa had moved to a house nearby and frecquently visited so it was right as Madame Hucheloup began to speak to the assembly that these two entered the house, ushered in by Amelia.

She nodded and smiled to the two of them and then began in a somber voice "You are all very dear to me, and were I rich as a lord, or even poorer than I am, I'd still for you the lot of you, but the fact is, I'm out of money. I've lost my livelihood, the cafe is in ruins, and I don't have two sous to my name now, the creditors will be coming soon, and if they put me on the street thats fine, but I don't want to see any of you wanting for food and shelter" she dabbed her eyes as she fondly looked at the three survivors.

"My dear madame" Combeferre said coming to her side and easing her into his own chair "whyever didn't you say something sooner. We are all at your service." He said sincerely. "Tell us what we can do to help."

"Nothing, I'll not have you giving me your money and going without yourselves" she said firmly.

"But madame -" he began to protest.

"I think I may have a solution" Monsieur Fauchelevent interjected quietly. All eyes turned to him. "What if someone were to loan you the money to repair your cafe?" he said.

"But monsieur, who among us has such a sum?" Enjolras blushed at her question, his family was dripping with money, the only problem was he would have to reconcile with them in order to get any of it. He didn't care about the money, he did want to help Madame Hucheloup though.

"I could acquire enough to do the job I believe" Monsieur Fauchelevent said humbly. "I have some collateral that I could receive a loan on."

"But monsieur, I will not take your money, I will not have you go into debt on my account" she objected.

"And I will not have you turned out of your home" he replied "please madame, I insist, allow me to assist you." He said.

"I can't" she protested.

"Now now" Grantaire chimed in "the children don't like it when mommy and daddy fight" he said grinning before dodging the spoon Madame Hucheloup had aimed at him for his sauce.

"Please madame" Combeferre said "let him help you, and we all will as well. We might not have a lot of money but we can help you fix the cafe again."

"Nonsense!" she said "you're still recovering."

"Then I can help" Grantaire said.

"Let's take a vote" Combeferre proposed "all in favor of Madame Hucheloup allowing herself to be helped raise their hands." All of them raised their hands except Madame Hucheloup. "I'm afraid the democratic process has decided, you'll just have to let us help you."

Enjolras was about to launch into a talk on how that aspect of democracy could be abused when it made people do things against their will because the majority had demanded it, but he remained silent on this occasion.

A week later the money had been obtained and they had all went to the ruins of the cafe. For most of them it was the first time since the fall of the barricades that they had been in that portion of the city. Combeferre found it neccessary to excuse himself for a while as he silently wept outside the cafe. Enjolras was silent and stayed close to Eponine, drawing on her indomitable strength. Grantaire was filled with loathing and felt sick at the sight of every bloodstain on the floors, wishing it was his blood and that he could have died in the place of any of his friends. Cosette came up to his side and gently turned his attention to the things that had remained intact, and to how well Enjolras and Combeferre were healing. Anything to distract him from the melancholy thoughts she saw on his face, and felt in her own heart. She wished she could have been there, like Eponine had been, to be able to say farewell to Marius.

"Do you know where he died?" she asked after they had been walking around the upstairs in silence for some minutes.

He shook his head "I was asleep, I slept through the whole blasted thing!" he said, his voice full of pain as he went and leaned his head against a window frame, the glass was gone. "I could have saved someone, if I hadn't been so damn drunk I could have been of some use, I don't care what Enjolras said, I could have fought, maybe even saved your Marius, or Courfeyrac, or someone" he said wanting nothing more than to hurl himself out of the window he stood in front of and end his miserable life. He moved to do so, without even thinking about it and felt Cosette's gentle hand firmly grasp his arm and turn him around to face her.

"And then you would be dead also, and Combeferre and Enjolras would be all that was left of Marius' friends, and Eponine too of course. But imagine how lonely Combeferre and Enjolras would be without you, it would just be those two, so whenever they disagreed or felt the need of another's company they would have no one to turn to, now they have you. I believe you survived for a reason, that there is a purpose to your life, I don't know what it is, but I know you have one, don't hate yourself because you live and your friends do not" she said softly. "I would give anything to have Marius alive again, but it is not possible, there is nothing either of us can do to change what has happened. And tormenting yourself and drinking and trying to take your own life, none of those things will change the fact that Marius is dead. All they will do is grieve his spirit as he looks down on us from heaven" she spoke the words firmly but gently.

"You really believe in heaven and hell and all that rot?" he asked though his tone was not deriding or disrespectful, it was curious more than anything. He had never met religious people that weren't also enormous hypocrites as well.

"Of course, don't you?" she said "I would think that life without something to hope for afterwards would be very sad and depressing indeed."

He looked at her, maybe this was the answer to all the riddles of why she and her papa were so good. Perhaps faith could exist without hypocrisy latching onto it.

"I don't know anymore" he said looking away and out the window to the clear blue sky. He would like to believe that his friends were out there somewhere, making merry in a neverending party in paradise with good wine and good conversation, like the Cafe Musain made new and without the oppressed people to discuss freeing. Just his friends being young and carefree forever, it was a thought that made him happy. He wondered if wenching were allowed in heaven, if it wasn't Courfeyrac might not care for paradise too much. He looked back at Cosette and smiled a bit, she had alleviated some of the darkness that had filled his soul, he owed her the same way Enjolras owed Eponine, only he had nothing to repay her with.

They all met in the lower room of the cafe to discuss the needed repairs. Other than replacing broken glass, purchasing new furnishings, painting over the bloodstains on the floor, and repairing some holes that had been blown into the one wall and into the floor in places, structurally, the building was sound. There was just a host of cosmetic repairs to make it into a reputable cafe once more.

In the following month the nine of them, for Musichetta had joined their numbers on this project, all scrubbed, hammered, painted, scraped, installed glass, repaired holes, and bought furnishings. Cosette and Eponine had been charged with the purchasing of furniture, Cosette added legitimacy to the proceedings, and Eponine assured that they got the best price possible, between the two of them they had the remodeled cafe furnished very well and at a very cheap price as well. These trips of acquisition formed a sort of bond between the two of them Cosette found that firmness and shrewdness were virtues in some cases, and Eponine found that behaving like a lady and not talking fouly or losing your temper gave you a respectability that made people more open to doing business with you. And of course there was the fact that for these trips Eponine was prevailed upon to borrow one of Cosette's dresses so that she would not get them tossed out of the establishment before they even proposed any business.

They had nearly completed all the work that there was to be done and with some of Cosette's own pocket money she was conspiring to buy a surprise for Madame Hucheloup. For this expedition Cosette had recruited both Grantaire and Enjolras, in addition to Combeferre who had frecquently been their escort and had watched with happy amusement as the girls had become less frigid and less hostile to each other over the past month.

They set out, and once out of sight of the cafe Cosette turned to them.

"I want to get a surprise for Madame Hucheloup, but all of you know her far better than I do, what should we get her?" she asked. Eponine shook her head, Cosette was so nice it could almost be irritating at times, but she smiled despite her minor annoyance. How could someone be so thoughtful about people she hardly knew. She had already given her two or three dresses of hers to keep, and now a gift for Madame Hucheloup. Seeing someone with money be generous without provocation was not something Eponine was accustomed to.

Enjolras was thoughtful "perhaps something to make her more comfortable, I'm not sure what, but she does tend to seem overworked a lot" he said softly, he had no exact idea in mind.

"Perhaps a good book for her to read while she relaxes" Combeferre proposed.

"'ferre this is Madame Hucheloup, not you, you can't buy people the presents you would like for yourself" Grantaire scolded while chuckling. "It needs to be something she would enjoy."

"Very well oh well versed giver of gifts" Combeferre said dramatically bowing to his friend while laughing softly "what do you propose we buy her?" he asked.

All eyes turned to Grantaire who remained thoughtful for a long moment.

"Well" he began "I specifically owe her a chair" he said with some chagrin.

"How so?" Cosette asked curiously as she walked alongside with him.

"I stole one of hers, her last chair to be specific, for the barricades" he said blushing a bit. He had kissed her mightily in order to get that chair. He looked at Cosette and for the flash of an instant he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. He shook his head, tearing his eyes away from hers. Some friend he was, Marius not even dead two months and he was already looking his 'widow' over. He felt ashamed of himself for various reasons.

"Unless anyone else has a better idea, I think we should go to the furniture store and see about a nice soft easy chair for Madame Hucheloup" Combeferre said to break the weird silence that had just fallen over the company.

The all agreed and headed off in that direction. They had been in the store for over a half hour when Cosette turned to ask Enjolras a question and found that he was missing. No one it seemed had noticed him leave.

"I'll find him" Eponine said turning to leave.

"But who will help me bargain with the dealer?" Cosette asked almost frightened.

The other woman laughed "you're a big girl Cosette, you can figure it out, if not, get Grantaire to help you, if he's half as shrewd about furniture as he is at the wine sellers then it should be a breeze" she said before disappearing out the door.

Grantaire smiled "I will assist with all" he assured her.

Meanwhile, Enjolras had slipped out of the store almost as soon as they had entered. There was a place he had to visit. He had been too focused on other things, and the pain too fresh, but now, with the dreadful night of the barricades two months in the past, he felt himself ready for the task. He went to the cemetery where the bodies had been buried, most were left nameless, but the sons of the well-to-do were put on their markers.

He saw Jean Prouvaire etched on a wooden cross and images of the dreamer's face flew gracefully through his mind. Compelled by the memory of the man Enjolras went to the fence and picked some wild flowers that were growing there, he scattered them around the marker and then walked down the line past several unmarked ones. He saw that one grave was out of alignment with the others. He drew closer to look at the marker, it read Joly, then he recalled Musichetta mentioning she had been asked to identify the bodies and had done so on the condition that she could see to it that Joly was buried in a manner that he would have chosen. Enjolras smiled sadly, his friends body lay exactly aligned with north and south, but now there was no concern for blood flow, for the man's blood was cold and most had been left on the pavement in front of the cafe. He moved forward, his body now quivering though he had not realized it himself. He read the name Marius and thought of the young man who had only been half a member of their company, but had fought with them all the same. He looked at the name on the marker and thought how he owed his life to that name, for without Marius being there, Eponine would not have come, and without her, he would have died. He bowed his head looking at that marker for a long time before, now trembling violently he saw carved deeply onto a wooden cross 'de Courfeyrac' he shuddered. He could not allow this to remain so. He saw Courfeyrac's face whenever anyone had addressed him as such and quickly Enjolras moved to investigate the area. He found, as he had hoped to, a pile of unused crosses in the shed at the back of the cemetery, he also found a knife in this shed and began to whittle the simple name of Courfeyrac into the wood. He pulled up the cross that had been there, and kissing the point of the cross he now held he hammered it into the ground with the mislabeled one. He sat there at the graveside for a long time, a few hard tears squeezing their way out of his eyes and onto his cheeks.

He had caused these deaths, he felt personally responsible for each marker and each mound of dirt. He hung his head, wishing for all the world that Courfeyrac, and the others were still alive. Who could he turn to now? Combeferre was grieving as much as he, he had seen the guide go out of the cafe and sob like a lost child. He had seen it and made sure he steered Eponine away from the scene, let the man grieve in peace and retain his pride.

He continued to sit there, looking all around him, blinded by the pain, and feeling as if the whole world were resting on his shoulders. He felt oppressed with guilt and emotional agony. His dream for a better France and his friends had all vanished in the same night. He saw Combeferre, Combeferre, in the face of the atrocities he had seen was now more into promoting peaceful means of progress than ever, and perhaps he was right. Grantaire, well Grantaire had never much cared for the rest of the world and while he now seemed minorly interested in it, he would not fight for it, the only reasons he had to fight were his friends, and now he and Combeferre were all that remained of those. His dream was dead, in his mind he saw the glorious image of Patria disentegrate and blow away in the wind. She was gone, everything was gone, except him. Why had he lived? he asked himself, what had been the purpose in his survival?

A rustle nearby caught his attention and he looked up, his eyes red. Eponine stood there, a few yards away, silently leaned against the fence, watching him. He had no idea how long she had been there.


	8. Jack and Jill

"How did you find me?" he asked as she walked up to him, feeling safe to do so now that he had acknowledged her.

"I went to the logical place" she said sitting down beside him. "I see you did a bit of redecorating" she said pointing to the cross in his hand.

"Yes, I didn't think Courfeyrac would want history to remember him by a name he hated in life" he said. She smiled a bit.

"If I were you I'd get rid of that old one before the groundskeeper comes along and sees what you've done" he nodded, standing to his feet and then offering her his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet.

"Where do you propose I dispose of it?" he asked. Eponine knew all the places to do things, she was like a female Grantaire when it came to some things.

"The Seine would work as well as anywhere" she said walking with him to the gate.

He looked over at her for a moment as she passed through the gate with him.

"Would you care to join me on a trip to the river then?" he said offering her his arm.

She smiled, he could be a real gentleman when his head wasn't stuck up in the clouds she thought to herself. She took his arm.

"Come on, I know the best way to get to the riverside from here."

He followed her guidance as they went through various back alleys and narrow lanes. They were walking down one particularly shady street when out of the darkness a figure disattached himself from the wall.

"My my! To think, I'd hardly recognize me own daughter" he said sneering. "That's quite the gettup you got on there my girl" he said stepping out in front of the two of them.

Enjolras looked from the man to Eponine, and then back, his face alight with confusion.

"Yes, thats the wolf whose cub I am" she explained trying to step past her father.

"Tell me, when were you planning on sending some of the loot you're making home to your dear old dad" he asked menacingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about" she said trying to get past him once more. Enjolras stayed silent, though he very much wanted to pick the man up by his shoulders and throw him into the gutter that had spawned him.

"Don't be quoy with me 'ponine, I know you, I raised you" he said loudly.

"If you raised me than the same can be said for a tomcat and kittens" she said bitterly trying to get around him once more.

"You've got to be bringin' in some money, you got clothes fit for a duchess and some gent on your arm" he said. "I don't imagine those two things are unrelated either" he said before looking up at Enjolras. He blinked and stood back, it was like a bat having to look straight at the sun, the righteous face of Enjolras blinded Thernadier for a moment. So much hard unyielding virtue in one glance, it was like a stab into him. There would be no soft underbelly on this man for him to drill into and extract blood from. "What about you sir, you think I don't care about me own daughter and would let her be the kept woman of some man, nice as you seem, I should get something for her even if she don't ask for anything for herself, she's a proud one. Though it would seem you've softened her a bit" he said smiling in a way that made Enjolras' dislike for him increase exponentially.

"Sir" he said stiffly "let us pass and begone, you have no rights to Eponine, no more than I do" he said moving to pass the man.

"No rights? I brought her into the world didn't I?" he said with as much outrage as he could feign. "You're no good, whoever you are, take a man's daughter and give him nothing for her."

"Human beings are free creatures, you do not own your daughter, I do not own your daughter. Eponine is a free woman, she can stay where she pleases, dress as she pleases, and do as she pleases, and seeing as she is an adult it is not for you, or for me to interfere with her free will. God does not interfere with the free will of humans, do you think yourself above the Almighty?" Enjolras querried severely.

"Listen to this gent" he scoffed "tries to beat me into a corner with talk of God while he's keeping my 'ponine as his own private whore, the gall of -" Monsieur Thernadier never finished that sentence, for Enjolras' fist had collided soundly with the man's jaw. He staggered to the ground, terrified as he looked up into the angry face of Enjolras.

"You listen to me monsieur, I have no authority over Eponine, she may do as she pleases, but if you so much as try to speak to her again in my prescence, or I hear of you trying to coerce her back into servitude to you and your gang of miscreants I will hunt you down and free society of one more villain" he said breathing hard as he glared, his blue eyes aflame, down at Monsieur Thernadier who scrambled backwards into a pile of horse dung, not daring to take his eyes off this fiery god of justice and vengeance who was threatening him.

"A-as you like messieur" he said quivering, still positioned in the horse droppings "she's all yours."

Eponine had watched the whole affair in silence. She was stunned. Enjolras was truly frightening when he was angry.

"I apologize mademoiselle" he said returning to her and taking her arm on his.

"For what?" she asked in bewilderment, surely he didn't think she gave two sous about what happened to her father.

"For you having to witness what just occurred" he said quietly.

"Sorry? I wouldn't have traded that for the world!" she said laughing, but her laughter fell. She felt that perhaps to laugh in triumph was not ladylike, and she had been trying to better herself since the barricades, she dressed like a lady, she wanted to act like she was at least a grisette, not the daughter of scum.

He looked over at her "mademoiselle" he began "if you like I can escort you on your walks throughout the city, that is if you want to ensure that another such encounter doesn't take you by surprise." He offered quietly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"What I mean is that your father might seek to take revenge on you for what I just did and it might be safer for you if you went out with someone to accompany you." He flushed a bit "I am sorry for complicating your life by my actions, but I could not allow him to insult you so, not when I owe you my life, and I know his words to be groundless. I was compelled to defend your honor, and for that I do not apologize one whit" he said firmly.

She scrutinized him for a moment, he really was unlike any man she had ever known before.

"Thanks, and I don't mind the complications, I was dreading running across him, and I'm glad you were there when I did."

He smiled down at her and her eyes moved up and met his. He was startled by this and flushed a bit, quickly looking away and changing the topic.

"Look" he said "we've reached the river at last."

Eponine shook her head, sometimes Enjolras completely confused her, he was more of an enigma than even Marius had been.

"Shall we send the mistaken marker on its way?" she asked.

"Would you mind helping me throw it, my left arm is still painful to use" he admitted reluctantly.

"I can imagine, especially after the amount you've been using it" she said with mock scolding. Enjolras had been one of the most active workers on the renovation project for the cafe. He had painted, hammered, and climbed the outside wall with Monsieur Fauchelevent in order to repair a few holes, and all with a wound in his upper chest that made any use of those muscles excruciating.

He paled "don't tell Madame Hucheloup" he said in a plaintive voice.

"I won't, now come on, let's get this thing in the river before the others think we've gotten kidnapped or something" she said laughing as she took the other end of the cross.

"On the count of three then" he said. She nodded "One" he spoke the word "Two! Three!" but the release was not as synchronized as they had planned on it being and both of them lost their balance on the steep bank and tumbled down towards the river. Enjolras whilst tumbling had the awareness to pick Eponine up and throw her behind him. He tumbled on, splashing into the river, not expecting it to be so deep so suddenly. He did not know how to swim. Eponine found herself on dry land when she felt certain she should have hit water. She looked up, shaking her head to clear the dizziness she felt from her tumble.

"Eponine" he called out, his voice was not frantic, though he was clinging desperately to some fronds that were hanging towards the water.

She looked up "swim down a few yards, the bank isn't so steep there" she said as she stood to her feet examining the banks of the river.

"I can't swim" he explained as he uprooted one of the fronds.

She rolled her eyes, "what do they teach you bourgeois?" she knelt down by the bank. "Give me your hand and I'll pull you over to where the bank is lower, then you can climb out." He let go of the fronds and gave her his hand, trusting her completely. The small but lean muscles that had carried him to safety when he was unconscious did so again and she drug him through the water from her place on the bank until he reached a small patch of ground that was almost even with the river's surface. She had crawled along on her belly so as to be able to reach his hand at all times, and now her dress was completely covered in mud. He climbed onto the shore.

"Thank you" he said catching his breath.

"You really are helpless aren't you?" she said laughing as she lay on the bank covered in mud.

"I try my best not to be" he said somewhat indignant.

"Then why don't you try learning how to swim monsieur" she said trying to stifle the chuckles that were erupting intermittently.

"Because I never thought it necessary until now."

She looked at him "I could teach you" she said as he sat down beside her, pulling his wet hair back from his face.

He looked down at her "how would that work out?" he asked. He dare not elaborate that he meant that she swimming in a dress must surely be a weight.

Fortunately she had followed his eyes to her full skirt and she shook her head "I could dress as a man" she said sitting up "it wouldn't be the first time." He smiled at her and getting up helped her to her feet. He finally noticed how covered in mud she was.

"What are the others going to say?" he asked rhetorically "we're both quite a sight, you muddy and I wet."

Eponine laughed "let's just go back to the house and clean up, we can send Amelia to go tell them that we're all in one piece."

He nodded, it sounded like a sound plan. They walked arm in arm, ignoring, or chuckling quietly at the stares people were giving them.

"I do feel bad" she said as they reached the Rue de Providence "I believe this was one of Cosette's favorite dresses, and I've up and ruined it."

Enjolras looked at her, smiling because it made him happy to see that Eponine was reconciled with Cosette enough to care about her and her things.

"It was my fault, I'll pay if you find one to replace it if you feel that it's necessary to do so." He offered.

She looked up at him "No, I don't want your money sir, but thats a good idea" she said "I should do something for her, she has been remarkably kind and I incredibly ungrateful for it all."

"What do you say we find something for her, seeing as she's good enough to think of getting something for Madame Hucheloup and she and her father have been so very kind to us all?"

Eponine nodded "I think we should, but what, the girl has everything?" she said, but not bitterly. Enjolras shrugged.

"We will think of something I am certain, perhaps ask Grantaire" he suggested.

She nodded as he opened the door for her. As they exited the brightness of the outdoors and entered the house they heard a dramatic gasp arise from inside. They blinked to clear their eyes and saw all of the others had already arrived home and were sitting at the table.

Combeferre and Grantaire fell into howls of laughter, laughter that had not been heard since before the falling of the barricades.

"Well you two certainly look like you had a far more interesting time than the rest of us" Grantaire said grinning.

"Do tell us the tale" Combeferre said leaning onto the table with eager interest.

"Let them clean up first" Cosette insisted.

After they had washed up and changed their clothes the two came into the living area where the table was.

"So what happened?" Grantaire asked.

"I fell in the river" was Enjolras' response before silently serving himself some of the leftover soup.

"And what about you Eponine?" Combeferre inquired.

"I nearly fell in the river" she said grinning. She enjoyed being cryptic.

"Oh, come on, be a sport Eponine!" he complained "what happened, if you don't tell us we'll have to make up our own story" Grantaire said with a grin filled with mischief. The kind of story that Grantaire would make up would be as scandalous as his debauched imagination could come up with, and Eponine preferred that she and Enjolras not be subjected to rumors that would start from a tale of that kind. She sat down, finding a bowl of soup in front of her, placed there by Enjolras, not Amelia. She proceeded to tell the story, starting with her finding Enjolras, though she left out where, and ending with her and him going to toss "a great stick" into the Seine and their tumble down the bank.

"So now we have the full tale of Jack and Jill who went down a hill to throw a stick in the water?" Grantaire asked, wondering what all she had left out.

"Yes you do" she said finishing her soup.


	9. We'll Make a Heaven Here on Earth

The next day, while Cosette was at home with her papa, the surprise for Madame Hucheloup having went over splendidly the previous evening. Enjolras and Eponine approached Grantaire who was sitting at the table, having just finished helping Madame Hucheloup with the final touches on her cafe that morning.

"Care for a drink?" he said to the two of them.

They shook their heads.

"We had an idea yesterday" Eponine began.

"What? that Apollo here actually learn how to swim?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Yes" Enjolras said "but that wasn't the idea that Eponine and I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?" he said setting his bottle aside "do tell?"

"We have decided that we ought to do something to show our appreciation for Cosette and all she, and her papa, have done for us the past couple months" Eponine declared.

Grantaire looked over at her, slightly amazed, but very pleased.

"I couldn't agree more" he stated using his swig of wine like and exclamation point. "What did you have in mind?"

"That's just it, we haven't thought of anything yet, we hoped you might have some ideas."

"She has everything, her papa has spoiled her, but in a good way. I've never met a sweeter girl" he said in an almost reverent tone.

"So what do you get the girl who has everything?" Eponine asked.

"Maybe we're thinking about this wrong" Enjolras said, "maybe it's not a matter of finding something to buy for her. Perhaps we should think of non-material things."

Grantaire looked at his friend and was silent for some time.

"He has a point, I mean, she's sweet, but she's so very sheltered, she's never been to the carnivals or fairs, she's never even been out to dance, not even at some stuffy ball." Grantaire clapped his forehead in inspiration "that's it, we throw a ball for her. She's dreamy about stuff like that, at least from what I've heard her talk. Enjolras, you come from high class, what do you have to do to have a good ball?" he asked.

Enjolras paused "I'm not sure, I tried to avoid them" he said. "You need music" he provided.

"We have ourselves a true independent thinker here" Grantaire anounced dramatically "music, I never would have thought of that without you Enjolras."

"Be serious" Eponine scolded mildly "this is for Cosette."

"Well" Enjolras added "you need a room big enough for dancing, and food and refreshments there, and I guess people that she would care about."

"Doesn't sound too hard" Grantaire said "I know the best place for getting food catered, and I know a band of musicians from the university who play all the best dancing songs" he said.

"And we could use the big room upstairs at the cafe" Eponine suggested.

"Now we're getting some helpful advice" Grantaire teased, looking at Enjolras who managed half a smile. "We can't breathe a word about this to her or her father though" he said.

"Agreed" said the other two.

"We'll use Combeferre as a distraction whenever -"

"What am I being used for?" he asked popping his head around the corner.

"A distraction" Enjolras said flatly.

"Oh, that's nice to know" he chuckled "who am I distracting, and what from?"

"You're to distract Cosette from us while we plan her surprise" Eponine provided.

"Oh" he said coming into the room "a surprise for our lovely lark" he said sitting down. "I'm all ears, if I'm to distract her, I at least want to know what the plan is" he said smiling. Happy to see that instead of squabbling his friends were planning pleasant things for each other. After they had explained to him their plan he announced "this is the best idea I've heard in a while. We could all use a party of some kind" he said smiling a bit. He thought of the others, how they would have loved Cosette as much as they did. She was so sweet and thoughtful, even Courfeyrac, despite her beauty, would have held her in esteem and felt himself wrong if he had attempted to dally with such a maiden. He thought of Joly and how with her youthful enthusiasm for things she would have kept a smile on that already perpetually smiling face. He sighed, they definitely needed a party, he needed one. A distraction to get him to stop dwelling on the faces of his dead friends at every turn. Despite focusing on teaching Amelia, he had still not been able to staunch the emotional wounds, he had taken to drinking more than he usually did, which made up for the fact that Grantaire had been drinking less of late. The alcohol consumption at the house remained steady, just now the philosopher instead of the cynic was indulging in it more habitually.

The next day as Eponine and Enjolras took off with Grantaire to ask about arrangements for the party, Combeferre found himself alone in the house, Amelia and Musichetta were at the cafe with Madame Hucheloup. He heard a soft knock on the door, and hiding the bottle he had been drinking out of, he opened it. It was Cosette. Remembering his duty to distract her he smiled and ushered her inside.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"Most are at the cafe" he answered.

"Oh" she said, sitting down in the chair that he offered her. "What have you been doing all morning?" she asked smiling.

He couldn't answer truthfully, because the truth was he had been trying to get drunk, but he had only went through one bottle by the time she had arrived.

"Nothing much."

"Oh, well you should get outside, its a beautiful day" she said happily, with just a hint of wistfulness in her voice.

"Would mademoiselle like me to take her for a walk?" he querried smiling a bit.

"Would you?" she asked excitedly.

He chuckled, how could anyone resist saying yes to such an adorable and eager request.

"Would be my honor" he said standing up "let me fetch my coat and hat and then I am at your service" he went to his room, retrieved said items and then returned. At that moment Madame Hucheloup came in with Monsieur Fauchelevent.

"And where are you two going off to?" she asked smiling.

"We were going to go for a walk in the park" Cosette provided "if that's alright papa?" she said turning to her father.

"It's quite alright, and if you two don't mind the company I think I'll join you. God has truly blessed us with fine weather today." He paused, he didn't want to crowd Cosette, she was growing up and was entitled to make friends without him constantly hanging about like a gargoyle. "Would madame care to join our soiree?" he asked offering his arm to Madame Hucheloup.

The cafe proprietor smiled and took his arm. She was not too fond of walking, but the day was fine, and she saw that three is a company when walking, but four suites everyone nicely, it leaves someone somebody to talk to whilst the other two converse.

The four of them went out and headed towards the park.

Father Fauchelevent and Madame Hucheloup followed behind the other pair.

Combeferre felt slightly ashamed of himself as he looked at Cosette. Here she was, deprived of her first real love by the barricades, by the man she no doubt would have married, and she remained lively and aside from sighs and wistful glances, undepressed. And he had fallen into alcohol as an escape from the pain. He found her truly remarkable, her fortitude and patience with all the change and grief she had gone through in her life. He took inspiration from her quiet perseverance through her pains.

They sat down on a bench to rest for a bit.

She asked him very quietly "how did my Marius die?" she had not ventured that question to Enjolras, becuase deep down he frightened her a little, and Grantaire of course would not know the answer, he had slept.

Combeferre sighed and looked over at her "he was shot down in a skirmish. He died in Enjolras' arms, Eponine in disguise held his hand, and his last words were 'Long Live Freedom'" he said gravely. "He died bravely" he said, for it was the truth, Marius had died gallantly, like a man, no fear, no hatred for fate, just calmness.

She lowered her eyes contemplating what she had just been told. She was proud of how he had died, but it was still painful to hear about his death.

"Cheer up"he said smiling at her "it's what Marius would want, he was always going on about that smile of yours."

She looked at him "Really?"

"Yes, you should have heard him talk about you. We all felt he had lost his mind he was so very much in love with you." She said, happy to distract her with tales of Marius' life amongst the Les Amis. After he had shared with her a few anecdotes about her beloved they fell into silence and got up to walk on together.

She looked at him after having not spoken for some time.

"Combeferre" she started quietly.

"Yes?" he said giving her his full attention.

"I think I would like very much to teach" she stated. "Could I help you?"

"Really? Of course, but why?" he asked somewhat surprised.

"I want to do some good in this world, and I was educated well by the nuns. I think I could teach, perhaps join a convent that isn't so rigid and teaches young girls from the poorer parts of the city and I think it would make Marius happy to see me doing something with my life instead of just moping around over him until I died of a broken heart. He can't change the things he wanted changed because he's gone now, but I feel I should try in his abscence" she looked up at him, "does that make sense?"

"Perfectly, and it's an admirable goal to strive for. Have you talked with your father about this?" he asked.

"Not yet."

He nodded "well, think it over for a while, make sure you're certain, and if you like I'll back you up when you tell him" he said smiling. She really could be full of surprises, and all good ones. He thought of the other three off plotting her surprise party, she certainly deserved something to celebrate her. They walked on together, now discussing the future instead of the past. Discussing their plans of starting a school for the underpriveledged of the world, the street urchins, the children of peasants, all those whom education had been denied.

Meanwhile the other three had arranged for the music and some food to be catered. With the semester out, and having not been able to attend school anyways, Enjolras was the main funding behind the plans. Grantaire had recently received some money from home, and instead of spending it on alcohol as he was prone to do, he had devoted most of it to this project. Eponine felt vaguely useless aside these two men of means, or at least they seemed like that to her.

In Enjolras' case she was right, Grantaire simply had an inheritance from an aunt who had died and it was sent to him in installments as needed. He had set up this arrangement himself, that way he always had money, but not all at once, or else he would be prone to spend it all in one night on gambling and drinking and pretty women. However, since the barricades his taste for all three had been dramatically slackened, he still drank, but seldom to the extremes he had become famous for. He still gambled, but rarely, and never with very much money, for he felt he should have some money on hand to help Madame Hucheloup, after all, wasn't that a more worthy aim than gambling the night away. As for women, he still noticed all the pretty skirts that passed his way but he no longer looked at them with the eye of one who feels if he decided to exert himself he could conquer. His desire to plunder his way into bedchambers had declined, he felt that the one woman he could truly admire that he had met, and who he thought of rather fondly at times, was not an object to be plundered, she was something to be cherished and protected. He had no idea where these noble ideas had come from and often found himself trying to argue them out of his mind, but they remained lodged there, especially whenever in the prescence of said lady. Cosette was a source of both delight and vexation for Grantaire, and he had no idea what to do about either feeling.


	10. Marble Warmed

At last all the preparations were in place. In the final hours they had been compelled to inform Monsieur Fauchelevent who had smiled, delighted that someone had thought of something to entertain his dear Cosette. He and Madame Hucheloup had decided that they would stay downstairs in the cafe for the most part and let the young people have their fun, but still be near enough that should some calamity occur they could on hand to assist.

Grantaire came to the door and knocked, Cosette opened the door and smiled.

"There's something I want to show you" he said offering her his arm. "It's something you'll like, its over at the cafe." He couldn't keep the grin off of his face.

"Just a moment, let me grab my shawl" she said looking out at the fading sky "and tell my papa."

Grantaire waited feeling more excited about this party than he had about anything in a very long time. He had even brushed his pants and bought a new shirt for the occasion. She returned, having obtained her papa's permission, and she took his proffered arm.

The others had all already gathered. Feeling that the more the merrier was a good adage, they had invited some of their other acquaintences. Some of the mistresses of the deceased had been found and invited, along with some of the students whom they had been friends with who had not participated in the meetings of the Les Amis.

Grantaire opened the cafe door, making sure that the bell on the door handle rung loudly as he closed it. Then, leading an eager and curious Cosette upstairs the others all lit the candles as they reached the stairs and the band that had been hired struck up a merry tune when they reached the top of the stairs. Cosette had the distinct expression of a child dropped into fairyland. She was dazed and delighted and showered smiles on everyone.

"This is our surprise for you" Grantaire said leading her over to where Enjolras and Eponine were waiting along with Combeferre.

"For me?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yes" Enjolras affirmed.

"You are all too kind" she said turning in a full circle looking at the pretty decorations in the room and the buffet of food and all the people.

"It is the least that could be done" Eponine said softly. "After all you've done, and all my ingratitude, I only wish I could've helped more with this whole affair" she looked down a bit.

"Eponine" Enjolras said. "We would have never thought of this if not for you, and your intelligence and good taste were a great help." He had been trying to be better about noticing people and all they did for him, and being appreciative, after all, perhaps Combeferre and Monsieur Fauchelevent were right, maybe kindness could change the world faster than guns and revolutions.

Combeferre looked at his friend in surprise that he quickly masked

In order to break the silence that had come over them Grantaire asked, hoping no one would volunteer, "whose going to dance with Cosette to open this ball?" he looked at the other two men, Combeferre declined.

"I will" Enjolras said "unless you would like to do so?"

Grantaire's face brightened a bit

"After all, you are best dancer amongst us three" Combeferre added.

Cosette turned her eyes on Grantaire in surprise, she had not thought of him as being able to dance.

"Yes" he said answering her look "I can dance. Shall we?" he said offering her his hand and signaling to the musicians that the festivities were now to officially commence and appropriate music should be played.

She looked up at him, slightly nervous "Grantaire, I've never danced before" she admitted.

He laughed, "I'll teach you, you're on the easy side of things, you get to follow, I lead." He grinned "don't worry, I won't let you trip or fall, I am very good at this" he said proudly. And so he swept her up into the grandiose waltz happier than he could recall being. His own happiness was fed by seeing her smiling and joyful, fed by knowing he had had a hand in bringing about this event for her, and fed by the fact that he had her in his arms. The turmoil in his mind was indescribable. Part of him was berating him for forming an attachment to his own friend's lady, the other part reasoned that Marius was dead and there was nothing he could do to stop himself from liking her even if Marius wasn't. This storm raged on inside his brain while the rest of him enjoyed the party and the pretty girl he had the pleasure of dancing with.

In his turn Combeferre danced with Cosette, he was a terrible dancer, but he wanted to make sure Cosette felt like she was the belle of the ball, so he did his part and then passed her off to Enjolras who looked confused until his friend nudged him and he decided that whatever it was Combeferre was plotting he should probably go along with it and ask him about it later, after all, he was the people person, Enjolras was not.

He led Cosette out in a dance and all watched in amazement, he was equal if not superior to Grantaire in a slow waltz. He looked very dignified and his partner, her face flushed from all the dancing, looked very pretty indeed. They made a striking pair.

To alleviate the silence that hung over them as they danced, Cosette ventured a remark "I wanted to apologize to you" she said as he lead her in the slow rhythm of the song.

"For what?" he asked completely surprised.

"Ever since I met you I have thought of you as cold and unfeeling and admittedly you frightened me something awful most of the time, and the rest I just felt that you were unsociable and disliked me. I realize now how wrong I have been, you are good and kind even if you are different."

Enjolras laughed, and it was a sound made all the more noticable for its rarity.

"I frightened you?" he said shaking his head. "I apologize most sincerely" he said gravely "and will attempt to not be so distant and anti-social in the future."

"No, its alright" she said smiling "I don't mind, you don't frighten me anymore. I understand you, or at least a little bit of you. You do care, just not quite like I'm used to, if that makes sense."

"It makes as much sense as it needs to" he said bowing as they finished the dance and handing her to Grantaire who was watching with a wide mix of emotions, all of which had flashed across his face at one point or another, but the smile that Cosette showed when he took her hand erased any negativity he had had in his head.

Enjolras stood to the side.

"See, these balls aren't so bad after all" Eponine said standing beside him. "You laughed, I didn't know you did that" she teased though not in a rude way.

"I don't, not often at least."

They were silent together some minutes until at last as the song ended she turned to him.

"Do you only dance with pretty bourgeois, or would it be too much to ask?" she gestured indistinctly towards the dance floor. She wanted to dance, and seeing as Grantaire was glued to Cosette's side, and she knew no one else except Combeferre, who having discharged his chivalrous duty to Cosette had sequestered himself by the buffet with a book.

Enjolras looked at her, it taking a moment to discern what she was asking.

"It would be _my_ honor" he said offering her his hand with a small bow. After all, he may not enjoy dancing that much, but if the woman who had saved his life wanted to dance, he would oblige with no reservations.

He lead her out onto the dance floor, a smile appearing on his face without his own knowledge. She was so athletic and not a burden to dance with at all. She had grace in her lean muscles and he was surprised when he looked down at her that she was smiling, and not her impish sort of usual smile, this was a radiant smile of joyfulness.

Eponine felt aquiver with supreme happiness. She was being treated like a lady. Granted she had had to ask him to dance, instead of the other way around, but it was Enjolras after all, and he was slow on the uptake on most things that didn't have to do with politics and revolution. As they danced a slow realization came over her, she looked at Enjolras and she saw a man she admired, one who was kind and good down to his core, a righteous man. But there was more than that, when she looked at him she felt her heart beat a little faster than usual. She tried to discard the budding feelings, she was in love with Marius, true, he was dead, but was she losing her heart to another after only three months? Had latent feelings and admiration been her motivation for aiding Enjolras all along. She didn't know, and it was too much of a mess to sort out. She just focused on having a good time, which surprisingly she was.

Enjolras got some punch for Eponine after they finished dancing. He looked around the room, noticing faces that were familiar but he was unsure why. He studied the crowd and found that while he hadn't thought he had been paying attention to things before the barricades, he really had. He saw the faces of young women, several of whom he remembered being in the company of Courfeyrac at one time or another. He saw young men he had had classes with at the university. He didn't remember noticing any of these people, but he remembered who they were surprisingly, or at least why they seemed familiar.

He brought the glass to Eponine.

"Thanks" she said smiling despite herself. She drained the glass a little too quickly to be ladylike but Enjolras didn't notice, and he wouldn't have cared anyways.

"Would you care to dance again?" he asked her, unsure why, he just felt that they ought to be doing something.

She took his hand as her answer and they went out onto the floor once more.

Enjolras lead her to the music. For the first time in his life he noticed the shape of a woman. With Eponine in his arms, her hand in his he felt feelings strange and new to him. His cheeks turned pink without his knowing it as he noticed how the deep red dress flattered Eponine and made her usually sallow face brighter and lively looking. He noticed so much that it staggered him a bit. He was not used to this at all. He had sworn that he was immune to the sickness that seemed to riddle all of his friends. He had never noticed the garters that girls occasionally showed when they leaped gutters, and if his attention had been forced into that direction, he was unmoved by it, but just the sight of Eponine in the form-fitting but modest dress warmed him.

As soon as the song had finished he politely excused himself and once out of sight he nearly flew to the door of the cafe, accidentally running into Madame Hucheloup.

"I am sorry madame" he said apologizing as he insured that she was alright.

"What's the matter, you look pale, is something wrong upstairs?" she asked concerned.

"No, nothing, everyone is fine" he assured her trying to get to the door.

"Except you it would seem" she said arching an eyebrow as she took his hand and led him to the kitchen where they could talk undisturbed. He followed like a child who was lost and being rescued by a kind stranger, everything seemed vague and unfamiliar to him, his world was being shaken by the feelings he had just had. "Now what's wrong?" she asked sitting in front of the big fire and looking up at him.

He sat down beside her "I don't know" he said and was silent.

"Come on" she said squeezing his hand "I've been looking out for you and the others ever since you were a bunch of whippersnappers who were wet behind the ears and nervously embarking on university life, if you can't trust me, who can you trust?"

He sighed "it's not lack of trust madame, I just don't know myself. I honestly have never given a second thought to this sort of thing before, I never even gave a first thought. I feel that to feel things like what I just felt upstairs is to betray my ideal. To think of a woman as something other than just a fellow citizen is to betray Patria. I don't know what I feel and I don't know if it's wrong or not" he said talking though it was almost as though he had been speaking more to himself than Madame Hucheloup.

She smiled and looked up at him. "I can asure you, what you're feeling is not only not wrong, its a good thing. To love someone is the best thing that can happen to a person. You've spent your whole short youthful life focusing on loving your Patria, giving your devotion to an ideal, but it's not the same, not near the same as having an actual flesh and blood person to hold in your arms and talk to. You're not betraying your ideal, to love another person is the only reason to live at all. Ideals can fade and change, but to win someone's heart and to be able to trust them with all your dreams and ideas and to love them and to have children, there is nothing to compare with it." She gave his hand another squeeze "you don't need to deny yourself love in order to fight for the ideas you have. There is no reason you can't have both dear boy" she said leaning over and hugging him before standing up. He sat there, looking serenely thoughtful.

"Bless me! how you are all growing up" she said and wiped a tear away "I'm very happy you're starting to act like a proper young man and lose your heart" she said laughing softly and pulling him to his feet. "Incidentally, is this lady responsible for inspiring these new feelings a fine brunette from a poor family?" she grinned at him as his cheeks flushed. "She's quite the catch if you can get her." She said.

"That's just the thing, even if I were to actually develop serious enough feelings for her to pursue something, I don't even know what I'm pursuing, and I can't say things well" he protested in duress. "How do you win a girl's heart, I've never bothered to try before, I didn't pay attention to how Courfeyrac went about it, not that I want to win her like that" he hastily added. Eponine was a valiant young woman, he had no intentions of whisking her to his bed and then depositing her back on the street after he was done. "What do I do? I am not good at words, not pleasant ones. I can chastize the government but how on earth do I endear myself to a woman?" He leaned his head against the wall, it felt like it might explode for all the confusion and consternation that was swirling around inside of it.

Madame Hucheloup looked up at him "I'd say if you're that worried you've fallen more than you'd care to admit" she smiled maternally. "The right words will come, if not, she will understand the words you do use, even if they don't sound like you hoped they would. Pay attention to her, find out what she likes, find out about her. If that doesn't win her she's a fool, to have a heart like yours offered, she'd be mad to snub you" she assured him. For after all, if she were young, she knew she would have gladly accepted the advances of a man like Enjolras, he was exemplary in all ways and was quite the handsome young man too.

He nodded before paling a bit "Please don't mention this conversation to anyone else... especially not Grantaire" he said. He was not up to being teased for his new discoveries.

She laughed "Of course not, I will tell no one, it's safe with me" she said.

"Thank you" he said bowing over her hand.

"Now go on, get back to that party before they come looking for you" she said shooing him out of the kitchen. He smiled and slowly ascended up the stairs. He suddenly thought of Marius and how suddenly love had seized his friend, he was following in his footsteps it would seem. He went to her side, swallowing hard a bit, now that he had noticed her, it seemed impossible to not notice her, even when he tried.

The two of them sat down with Combeferre and started talking. Amelia looked at the dance floor longingly, she had been doing so the entire duration of the party. Enjolras noticed this, surprised at himself, he was noticing people, he was not used to doing this.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked her.

Her eyes lit up "really?" she asked happily.

He smiled and offered her his hand.

Combeferre looked at him and then at Eponine. "I've never seen him so... personable and well, warm" he said smiling.

She nodded "He's been very considerate all night" she remarked sipping on some wine he had gotten her. She smiled as she watched Amelia enjoying herself to the extreme. She was dancing and Eponine knew from observation and a few statements Amelia had made that she had a schoolgirl crush on Enjolras. And who could blame the thirteen year old girl for doing so, he did have a storybook prince look about him with the blonde curls and chiseled jaw. Eponine found herself observing all the things that she found admirable in Enjolras' person. He had a lean build and long blond lashes that only added to the intensity of his azure eyes. She shook herself out of her reverie, but not before Combeferre noticed and smiled to himself. He had distinctly seen her watching Enjolras intently with that look on her face that he was used to seeing girls throw Courfeyrac's direction when observing him from a distance. He smiled and sipped his wine silently hoping that Enjolras might finally come out of his chaste shell and do something to claim the heart that was leaning in his diresction.


	11. Young Hearts

It was almost one in the morning by the time the party ended. All but the six of them and Madame Hucheloup had left. She came upstairs to tell them that Monsieur Fauchelevent had went home an hour or so back and one of the boys should get Cosette home.

"I will" Grantaire volunteered "and then come back and help you clean up" he said quickly. He didn't want to seem lazy, and besides Madame Hucheloup could definitely use some help cleaning up.

"Alright" she said.

He took Cosette's arm and lead her down the street. She had never been out that late before so she walked close to him.

"Don't worry" he told her smiling "I'm not just a dancer" he said "I'm a boxer too, I won't let anything hurt you." His voice was tender as he addressed her and it made her smile warmly. That smile, caught in the lamplight of the street lantern sealed Grantaire's fate, he was, whether he liked it or not, whether he wanted to change it or not, in love with Cosette. Being around her made him feel whole, like he mattered and that for once in his life his life meant something. He felt like a man when he had this woman on his arm. Her smiles made him believe in himself. She had changed his world steadily, like rain eroding stone, her kindness had slowly worked away at his loathing until she now filled his soul with the light she gave.

He safely escorted her to her door, knocking softly in case her papa was still up. He swallowed hard, even if she ever did miraculously give him a second thought, which was impossible while she still grieved for Marius, her papa would never approve of him, not for all the world would he let this drunken ex-rake court his precious Cosette. He sighed as her father opened the door.

"Here she is monsieur" he said helping Cosette inside "safe and sound."

"My thanks Grantaire" he said with a nod, shutting the door behind Grantaire as he left.

He ambled back to the cafe his hands jammed in his pockets kicking stray stones that were in the street. He was deep in thought when he returned to the cafe. He walked in looking around not even sure how he had gotten there, he remembered none of his walk there.

"Here he comes, just in time to miss all the work" Combeferre teased as he came downstairs with Amelia and Eponine.

"Oh, I'm sorry" he mumbled. Combeferre frowned, it wasn't like Grantaire not to respond with some quip.

"What's the matter?" he asked putting an arm around his friends shoulder.

"Nothing" he said flatly "where is Madame Hucheloup, I'll help her finish up, you all can go ahead and go home" he planned on staying the night and getting drunk at his table in the corner.

"I wonder what's gotten into him?" Combeferre mused as his friend stalked off to find Madame Hucheloup. Grantaire went upstairs and found a couple of bottles remaining from the party.

"This'll work" he said to himself.

"And just what do you think you're about Grantaire?" Madame Hucheloup said as she saw him collect the three bottles and put them on a table for himself.

"I'm going to have a drink... or several" he said sitting down. The room was fairly clean after all.

She sat down across from him looking at him patiently. Grantaire was usually pretty good about speaking what was on his mind, almost too good at it at times.

"I'm just a drunk, even if I could change it wouldn't help" he said bleakly as he opened a bottle and took a long swallow.

"Well it certainly won't help if you don't try" she said. His alcoholism had always worried her.

"Even if I became the model citizen, Enjolras himself even, I can't scour off the reputation I have, and there is no way she will ever have feelings for me, and even if a miracle did occur, there is not a chance in the wide world that her papa would allow me anywhere near her once I made my intentions known." He drained the bottle. "I can't hope to reach her level, so why should I even try?" he asked bitterly.

"Ah" she said at last "we are speaking of Cosette Fauchelevent" she said.

"Of course"

She sighed, it would seem she should start a shop for advice on love.

"I would give it a try" she said "you never know unless you try. Her papa is a kind man, if he sees that you care about Cosette enough to do your best to be worthy of her, he might be persuaded to see that you are a good man."

He laughed "Me? a good man?" he shook his head.

"Listen to me Grantaire" she said firmly "you are a good man, under all your bitterness and hatred of the world there is the man that is loyal to his friends, who helped me fix my cafe, who spent his money on this party for a girl he doesn't think he has a chance with, who will probably never know how much he had to do with this surprise party, so yes, laugh if you like, but I know you're good, and if you tried instead of wallowing in wine and self-pity you might get Cosette and her papa to see that as well." She stood to her feet, looking maternal and fiersome at the same time.

He looked up at her and was silent for a long time before getting up and taking the two remaining wine bottles and putting them in her hands.

"I think I'll go home now" he said and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you madame" he said sincerely before going downstairs and out the door. He walked home and went to bed, determined to at least make the attempt to be a man worthy of such a woman.

Madame Hucheloup finished cleaning up from the party chuckling to herself

"All that's left is to find a girl for Combeferre" she said to herself as she locked up the cafe smiling and shaking her head at thoughts of what it was like to be young.


	12. Deity and Damsel Distressed

With summer's end upon them Eponine decided it would be best to teach Enjolras to swim before the waters of the Seine got too cold. They were chilly enough that the river didn't reek, but any colder and they might get sick, at least he might, she had the constitution of a gypsy.

They went down to the river a little before twilight, picking a spot where it was out of the main current. Enjolras, for practicality's sake stripped off his shirt, blushing none the less. He was simply not used to the idea of being half naked in the sight of other people, especially females. Eponine who had already gotten into the water giggled at his flushing cheeks, though hers were rosy in their own right, for some reason the sight of this man with his pageboy build sent a shiver through her. She shook her head, he would never notice anything that didn't have to do with his beloved Patria. 'Eponine you fool' she said to herself inside her head 'can't you pick a man who isn't already taken. First Cosette now Patria, are you ever going to fall for a man you actually have a chance with'. Her mind threw up images of such men, men like Montparnasse and other villains of the street and she shuddered. She would rather die dreaming of the ideal than become mistress to a man who had no heart at all.

They stayed in the water for an hour or two. Enjolras caught on fairly quickly and was making progress by the time they stopped. He got out and helped her out of the water. He hesitantly reached out and tucked a strand of wet hair that was in her face behind her ear. He turned away, drying his hair on one of the towels they had brought and putting his shirt back on. Eponine stood rooted to the spot he had left her in, dripping wet and thoroughly stunned. How could just the slightest accidental touch of the tip of his fingers on her cheek thrill her more than anything she had ever known? She came to his side and he handed her the other towel.

"You'll catch a cold if you don't dry off soon" he said in concern. Four years of being friends with Joly made such concerns a hard habit to break.

She nodded taking the towel and drying her arms and hair. Enjolras, despite his efforts could not help but have his gaze drawn to the shirt that clung to her form. He lowered his eyes in modesty, but still the urge inside of him to take her in his arms and kiss her would not go away. He wanted to run, but he couldn't run from himself, and wherever he went there she would be in his head. Besides, he couldn't leave her here alone, he had promised to walk with her wherever she went in case she happened upon her father. He waited for her, taking her towel when she had finished and then offering her his arm. He bit his lip in annoyance, it was as if he delighted in tormenting himself by putting himself as close to her as possible but trying his hardest to not fall any more in love with her than he feared he already was. He had never known fear before in his life, but being in love frightened him. He was terrified of losing his heart and having the person he lost it to not care two sous for it.

They walked along the street in silence he saw her shivering and took his coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Thank you" she said her eyes meeting his.

"My pleasure" he said sincerely. His gaze lingered on her face a little longer than he would have liked, but he could not help but be drawn in by her becoming features. He wanted to do something to win her heart, but he had no idea what. She was the one woman in the world whose heart he saw as truly worth achieving but he was helpless, he had never bothered attempting to woo lesser hearts and in the face of such a peerless strong soul he wavered, he had no practice.

He stopped outside the door to the house on Rue Providence where Eponine now boarded permanently with Madame Hucheloup. He had returned to his old flat once he had seen to it that Madame Hucheloup was in the clear and no creditors were going to evict her. He wanted to do something now, he didn't know what. On sheer instinct he took her hand and kissed it "I will see you tomorrow?" he asked. He saw her most every day. She worked at the Musain now and when she wasn't working there was always one thing or another that put them in each other's company.

She smiled "Of course" she said and despite her misgivings, despite feeling he might take affront or think her forward she leaned up and planted an innocent kiss on his cheek, which promptly turned bright pink. "Bonsoir" she said before disappearing inside. He stood there in a dizzying mix of emotions. He wanted to rush inside and tell her how he felt, how she was the only woman alive who moved his soul like this, how she was beautiful and strong and amazing and his heart was in her hands, but he turned away from the door, trying his best to stomp out the thrill her sweet kiss to his cheek had given him.

He didn't sleep at all that night.

For the following week they went to the river and swam together in the evenings. Their walks to and from the riverside were long and filled with good conversation. She learned more about the government and the state of the nation than she had ever dreamt there was to know. He learned about what life was really like on the bottom of the social ladder and all the clever ways there were to improvise things so they served multiple purposes and saved money.

It was not that they had never conversed privately before, but they had both opened up a little more than they usually did on these outings. She spoke of her childhood to him and he spoke of his to her. Hers had been one of indulgence that had abruptly ended in misery, his one of indulgence that could have continued indefinitely had he not broken off with his parents over political and social issues. He was still the only son, still bound to inherit, but he did not care. As soon as he inherited he intended to use the money to start schools for the poor and sponsor writers who promoted freedom. She was amazed at how much he was concerned about the wellfare of others.

They were walking home a little later than usual, having sunned themselves in the dying rays of sunset before heading home. As they turned down a street three figures suddenly moved to block their way. One was Eponine's father, the other was the giant Babet and the wiry devil Montparnasse.

"Enjolras" she said in a panicked whisper "get out of here."

He looked at them and back to her "and leave you? Never." he said walking forward as if nothing were the matter, though he kept Eponine behind him a little bit.

"You've got something that's mine" her father said "I'd like me daughter back if you don't mind ya brat" he said and with a nod Babet moved in front of Enjolras.

"Let us pass" he said stiffly.

"Let go!" Eponine yelled as Montparnasse grabbed her. "I will kill you with my bare hands you bastard" she said turning on him and throwing her knee into his stomach and clawing at his face with her fingernails. "Let me go!" she protested landing punches wherever she could. Montparnasse raised his hand and let sail a stroke to her face that made her dizzy, still she fought on.

Enjolras had, from the moment she shouted, become engaged with Babet who was trying to land punches, but Enjolras was smaller and quicker and dodged most of them. The brute charged for him and taking one of the towels he had on his shoulders Enjolras threw it over the man's head and sent him sailing into a wall, giving him a swift kick in the rear to speed him on his way.

"Eponine!" he cried out and he punched Montparnasse in the face, breaking his nose. The man yelped in pain and threw Eponine to the side, sending her headlong into the wall, which she was too dizzy from the previous blow to her face to stop herself from hitting. Enjolras took a cut to the arm as Montparnasse drew his knife. He dodged the next stroke and saw Monsieur Thernadier dragging his daughter's unconscious form over towards one of the slums nearby. He picked Thernadier up by his shoulders and threw him at Montparnasse, picked up Eponine and he walked onward until he was free of that particular street. He heard Thernadier grown as he ran into Montparnasse's blade that he had been holding out against Enjolras. After that, nothing, he was speeding to the house on Rue de Providence.

He kicked open the door shouting "someone get a doctor!" Amelia was out the door in a flash and Combeferre quickly came to his friend's side, helping him lay Eponine on the bed in her room.

"What happened?" he asked in alarm. Enjolras had a healthy sized black eye blooming and the cut on his arm was bleeding.

"We were attacked in the street, her father and some ruffians" he explained as Combeferre donned his glasses and set to bandaging his arm enough to assuage the the bleeding.

"Thank God you're both safe" he said softly as he finished.

"Will she be alright?" Enjolras asked. He had never taken his eyes off of her since the incident, even when Combeferre had been bandaging his arm, he had remained with his gaze fixed on her pale face.

"What happened to her?" his friend asked.

"She was thrown into a wall, other than that I'm not sure, I was busy trying to get free of one of the other brutes, I couldn't see."

"If its just a concussion she should be alright, hopefully its a minor one."

Enjolras looked at his friend curiously for a moment. "I had forgotten you were once planning on being a medical student" he said softly.

His friend smiled "I had almost forgotten that too" he said chuckling a bit as he took Eponine's pulse. He hoped a little humor was not out of place, he wanted to get that look of sick worry off of Enjolras' face.

The doctor arrived, revived her with smelling salts, diagnosed her with a concussion, gave them strict instructions on how to care for her and to come and get him should she worsen. Then he he examined Enjolras' wound and left.

"So I'm not to sleep, but I can't get up?" she said huffily after the doctor had left.

"Doctor's orders" Combeferre said getting some pillows to prop her up a little bit.

"So what am I to do?" she asked grumpily.

"I'll read to you" Enjolras volunteered almost eagerly. "If you like that is" he added.

She smiled and took his hand. "I would like that very much" she said warmly. Combeferre exited the room on the pretence of finding a book for Enjolras to read to her. "I want to thank you" she said "you were a fool to stay, but I've never had someone be a fool for me before" she blushed, that had sounded different than she had meant it to, that was certain.

"I couldn't leave you" it was a simple statement. It wasn't dramatic and it needed no additions. Enjolras could not have left, under any circumstances, no matter the peril. It would have destroyed who he was to leave her alone in the face of such foes. Even if his staying had provoked a fight where otherwise there would not have been one.

"Thank you anyway" she smiled and looked up as Combeferre came in with a stack of books.

"Take your pick, I have more if you don't like any of these" he said to Eponine and then read off the titles.

"Something happy" she said mildly.

He and Enjolras spread the books out on the table in the corner and after some quiet conversation they decided on Jane Austen's Emma, and if she didn't care for that there was Combeferre's copy of Keats' poetry.

Days passed and the doctor occasionally visited to see how she was recovering. Enjolras read to her day in and day out. Even when she was resting he still stayed by her side or close at hand in case she should want anything. The others noticed his loyalty but said nothing, it was a serious thing, for Enjolras to care for someone, it was best left alone to come to fruition on its own without the prodding or hinting of anyone to ruin it.

About four days after the incident with Monsieur Thernadier Enjolras and Eponine were having lunch together, she still staying to her bed as the doctor had demanded she do for the week, with the exception of short walks inside where it was darker, no lights, and the room was to be kept cool. They were sitting there talking over their meal when Eponine looked up and gasped. Enjolras turned. There, inside the door was a girl he had never seen before.

"Azelma!" Eponine exclaimed waving for her sister to come to her bedside.

"Your sister?" Enjolras asked.

She nodded and then asked her sister "what are you doing here?"

"Oh 'ponine, don't be angry with me" she started in, she looked about to weep. "I know you want nothing to do with me..."

"That's not true!" she protested.

"That's what father said" she replied looking a little more comfortable now that she knew her sister didn't hate her as their father had implied she did.

"Well it's not true" she said defiantly, and then took her sister's hand.

"I'm so very glad, because you're the only one I can turn to now. Oh sister!" she exclaimed the tears finally bursting forth despite her attempts to stop them "I've gotten myself into the worst of possible messes. I swear, I tried not to, but it just happened and now papa knows, and seeing as him and Montparnasse are not speaking to each other anymore after the fight where you got hurt, now I don't know what to do." The words had tumbled out amidst the tears and Eponine had caught the general gist that her sister was in some sort of trouble.

"What does father know?" she asked.

Azelma fidgeted with the edge of the blanket on the bed, looked away and then back at her sister. "I'm pregnant" she said before burying her face in her sister's lap and sobbing "oh please sister, please help me. I don't know what to do."

Eponine sighed and stroked her sister's hair. Enjolras procured a handkerchief for the crying girl and then excused himself from the room. The minute the tears had started he had wanted to run anyways, he did not know how to deal with tears. He was glad that Eponine didn't cry, it was nice to have a woman who didn't burst into tears on slightest provocation.

"I'll help support you" Eponine said at last "I rent this room, you can live here with me. I have a job at the cafe now, an actual job, and it makes good money too, enough to live on without having to turn to theft any longer" she sighed. "You can do seamstress work like I've seen grisettes do to earn some money for yourself too."

"You will let me live with you?" she asked "but wouldn't that be crowded, three to a room" Azelma added blushing a bit.

"Three?" Eponine asked curiously "the baby is a long way off sister."

"Not my baby" she protested "your lover."

Eponine shook her head "I don't have a lover."

"Oh" she paused "well I guess it's not so bad then."

"No, we can stay here until the baby comes and then we'll figure something out, but don't you worry little sister, 'ponine is here and I won't let anything happen to you" she wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her. She wasn't sure how she was going to keep her safe. Of course with her being pregnant her father wouldn't care what happened to her, and mother would be persuaded not to care. The father, Eponine shuddered, Montparnasse might kill Azelma if she even hinted that the child was his and he should help support it. "You've got to promise me something though Azelma" she said.

Her sister looked at her "Anything" she said sincerely.

"Once you start staying with me, there's no going back, not to father, he'll only treat you badly and convince you to aid him in his crimes" she paused before continuing "and absolutely, on no conditions, are you to return to Montparnasse, or even speak to him."

Azelma nodded "Of course not, after what he did to you, I want nothing to do with him." She patted her sister's head softly "I'm sorry about that." She said wiping her eyes.

"I'll be okay. These are good people, the friends I have made. They can be a little strange at times, but they're so very good. Cosette and her papa have been kinder to me than any of the others, except perhaps Enjolras, and you remember how miserably we treated Cosette, I don't understand it, but they really are kind."

Azelma nodded looking around the room, realizing this was to be her home now.

Enjolras made arrangements for another bed to be installed in Eponine's room. This addition of her sister however robbed him of the freedom to stay by her side constantly. He sat in the living room, attempting to read, his eyes however flickering to the door to her room more often than the pages before him. The day the doctor declared Eponine well enough to move about again and get out of bed was the most blessed of days for Enjolras.


	13. Not a Bad Form of Insanity

Eponine recovered and went back to work as soon as she was able to. Azelma took to learning seamstressing from Musichetta in the evenings and the two sisters started routines for themselves. Enjolras was happy that another unfortunate soul had been saved from the fate of belonging to such parents, he did however miss having Eponine's company all to himself. They seldom got the chance to have private talks anymore, and he watched from afar as she smiled now, instead of up close. He became more moody and quiet, drowning himself in books. His best friend noticed this change and decided it was time he stepped in. He was curious about the new addition to their circle of friends anyways so one day, right about the time Eponine was to finish her shift at the cafe he went to her sister and asked her if she would like to go for a walk. Delighted at being noticed for herself, and not simply as 'Eponine's sister' she accepted without hesitation and the two set out together.

Enjolras, upon finding that the house was empty when he went by, decided he would find Eponine at the cafe and walk her home, maybe taking a long route through the park or something seeing as her sister would not be waiting eagerly at home. He thought well enough of Azelma for what she was. She was sweet, easily frightened and even more easily led. It was no surprise a man like Montparnasse had turned this girl of fifteen into a victim. He had decided long before that he would find a way to see to it that Montparnasse was arrested for his crimes. He had already reported the attack to the police, he left out Monsieur Thernadier for the sake of his daughters, besides, he had done nothing in the altercation and from the sound of it he at least cared enough for Eponine to discontinue the coalition with Montparnasse after he had bashed her into a wall.

He waited outside the cafe for her, absently picking a few flowers that were growing between the paving stones and in the gutters. He mused, and had Jehan been among the living he would have heartily appreciated the musings of Enjolras at this moment; that Eponine, was much like one of these flowers that bloomed in the scum on the street and grew there and was stronger than a garden flower and more beautiful for the adversity it had faced to survive. He turned as he heard the door open and smiled seeing her come out.

"Can I escort you home?" he asked. He did so almost every day, it was the only opportunity they had for private conversation anymore, but the walk was a short one and nothing could be spoken on at much length for Eponine's concern to see how her sister was doing. She took his arm. "Your sister it would seem, went out with Combeferre, so there is no need for us to rush our walk" he said unable to not smile just a bit at having her unrushed company. He handed her the flowers he had absently picked.

She returned the smile "It has been a while since we have had a nice talk, I've been so very busy lately." She said sighing, not wistfully, but a sigh of exhaustion.

"We could get some dinner" he offered. There was nothing wrong with the cooking of Madame Hucheloup, or Musichetta, or Amelia, or even Eponine and Azelma, but he felt she might enjoy a real meal, at a nice place.

"That sounds great, I'm famished" she said "nothing makes you hungrier than serving food to people all day."

He led her down a long lane to a elegant but cozy eating establishment.

"For me?" she said looking up at the uncracked paint on the sign and the clean windows on the cafe front.

"Why not?" he asked smiling. He found he did that action a great deal more than was his custom whenever he was in her company.

They ate their meal and kept a good conversation up the entire time. They had a great number of things to talk about despite seeing each other everyday almost. For they had not had opportunity for a leisurely conversation in some time now. They discussed the books that he had read her, discussed her sister, discussed Combeferre and the others, the weather, the classes Enjolras was taking this semester, the interesting customers at the cafe, and without their even caring to notice the sun sunk down and the owner came to tell them they were closing the dining area soon.

"I fear I may have hurt your reputation" he said softly "out after dark with a man unchaperoned."

"Only you would bother to think of that when it came to me" she said getting to her feet and collecting her shawl from off the back of her chair.

"Because to me you are a lady" he said giving her his arm. They went outside and walked a little ways in silence before he stopped. The moonlight had fallen on her face and he finally caved in, he might not get the chance to speak to her alone for another month or longer, until Combeferre decided to entertain Azelma again, if he ever did, it felt like it was now or never and he was not going to let the night end without at least giving her some indication of the fact that he held deep and sincere feelings for her. "Eponine" he spoke the word with a quiet urgency.

She looked up at him pulling her shawl up around her shoulders a bit as the night breeze rushed past. He assisted her and, leaving his hands on her shoulders he looked down into her eyes.

"Eponine" he said again "I know your heart belongs to another, that you loved Marius, but if you should ever feel that it's free again, I would ask that you think of me before bestowing it anywhere else." He paused, his cheeks going bright in the light of the moon. "I care about you very much, and I know I'm hopeless, but if you could just-" She had put her finger to his lips to stop the nervous flow that was coming from them. She had gotten his point, even if it had not been expressed very eloquently.

"It is true, I did love Marius" she said "and I thought I would never meet his equal, but then I found I had met a man far his superior." Enjolras looked confused and crushed and his face was a mixture of emotions. "And that man, Enjolras, was you." The tenseness of his frame relaxed and a sigh of relief was exhaled. He looked down at her, nervousness still in his eyes. He saw the moonlight on her beautiful face and wanted to kiss her, but he was still unsure, he was a novice when it came to romancing.

Trembling a bit, he leaned down and closing his eyes as he closed the final inches, he pressed his lips to hers. He felt his heart hammering strongly in his chest, felt the sweet softness beneath the chappedness of her lips, and to his surprise felt her return his clumsy kiss. The rush of emotion and thrill that shot through his body overwhelmed him, he had never known anything like this before in his entire life. His arms circled her shoulders and he held her in them looking down at her, an indefinable expression on his face.

Eponine smiled, giggling softly "whatever will Patria say?" she asked.

He gently touched her cheek "she will say I could not have chosen better when it came to bestowing my heart to a flesh and blood woman. I still love my Patria, but it's not impossible to love more than one thing at a time." He explained as he blushed a bit and retaking her arm they walked on, slowly.

Time went on and the fall turned into winter, Eponine and Enjolras found time to have private walks and private talks together, they had not really told anyone that they were together but Combeferre, with his acute powers of observation had guessed that something was going on, so he happily kept Azelma occupied whenever he felt the two of them wanted time to be unharrassed. Whenever he was not occupied teaching Amelia, or with teaching Cosette how to teach, he was at Azelma's side engaging her in friendly conversation to keep her distracted.

On one such instance he proposed that he, Grantaire, Cosette, and Azelma all go to the park. This left the house to Enjolras and Eponine. He wasn't sure if Enjolras would be the sort to take a girl to the bedroom, but just in case it came to that, he figured he would do his friend the service of providing him with an empty house.

The two pairs walked to the park. Cosette, despite understanding that Azelma had done a wrong thing by becoming with child while unmarried, she also understood, that the same fault had been committed by her own mother, and she felt a bond with Azelma over that. As though it were up to her to see that this girl, just a year younger than herself, did not meet the same fate as Fantine.

Grantaire, being wholly transfixed with Cosette by this point hardly noticed Azelma, she was Eponine's shadow to him. He cared for her only as far as her being a friend of Cosette's carried her in his esteem. He pitied her plight, but that was the extent of his thoughts regarding her.

Combeferre, who aside from Musichetta, had most went out of his way to befriend the unfortunate girl thought highly of her. He saw in her all the bitter results of the hardness of the world, and of the hearts of some men. She was quiet and shy, not altogether unlike Amelia, though under Amelia's quietness there was indomitable strength, under Azelma's there was simply fear. Combeferre hated the sight of fear in people's eyes. He wanted to solve the problems of the world, one fearful person at a time. To see fear in the eyes of a woman melted his heart with pity. Women were to be cared for, to be freed from the unfortunate shackles that had been placed on them, but also to be protected and nurtured. It was a man's place to make sure a woman was protected from other men, men who would not treat her well. Azelma's father had obviously failed at this duty, along with every other fatherly duty Combeferre had no doubts. So he had made Azelma his little project. Just as he was teaching Amelia to read, he was teaching Azelma that she had no need to fear anymore. He, and the others, were there for her, they would be her extended family, they would defend her when the slanderous remarks rained down on her and would help her as she raised her child. He wanted to see her free of fear, more than anything else.

As the four of them strolled around the park Cosette and Grantaire found themselves separated from the other pair. She gaily pursued a flock of geese, trying to feed them breadcrumbs but instead frightening them away. He laughed, watching her enjoy herself as she chased them protesting "I'm trying to feed you!" Her joyous smile made him happier than the best bottle of wine. He came up along her side as she caught her breath.

"Are you alright?" he asked daring to put his arm around her to support her.

"Yes" she said laughing, but her laughter died after a short pause. She was looking at Grantaire, no, studying was a better word. She had felt a rush from his touch that was most unexpected. She blushed, stepping away, after all, it would be shameful to be having feelings for someone else while she still wore black for Marius. He sighed and watched her walk on, giving her some room. He had seen her face cloud over, and the sparkle of her eyes diminish, something that tended to occur whenever Marius was on her mind. She rejoined his company after a moment's privacy, her smile on her face, though not as bright as before. Grantaire walked beside her, silently pleading in his head for Marius' spirit to take pity on him and let him at least have a chance with this rare young woman. He mentally argued with the shade of Marius while walking along with Cosette. They rejoined the others and he fell back as she went and took Azelma's arm. He looked brooding to say the least, and Combeferre couldn't help but notice the sullen mood that had taken his friend, just as he had noticed the efforts Grantaire had been making to better himself in the past couple months.

He fell in step with Grantaire "you look glum mon ami" he said smiling at his friend in a friendly way.

"It's nothing, it will pass" he said waving his hand, hoping to ward off Combeferre's concern.

"You mean, it will come" he corrected.

"Eh?" he asked in confusion.

"The time will come when Cosette puts aside the black and realizes she is not only not a widow, but she is also still young and still pretty and there is still a chance for happiness."

He was silent for a moment "have I been that obvious?" he asked with some apprehension.

"Only about as obvious as Eponine and Enjolras are" he said chuckling.

"I see" Grantaire said grinning "so that's why you so cleverly proposed this little outing."

Combeferre nodded with a small smile of satisfaction.

"So do you know for a fact that the god has come off his pedestal or are you just trying to play cupid with those two?" he asked.

"I know nothing for certain, but I have seen some pretty conclusive evidence that our friend has finally started behaving like something akin to a proper Frenchman" he replied chuckling. "Though say nothing of this to him, let's not spoil things for them by teasing them until it's time."

Grantaire laughed "oh the fun Courfeyrac would have been having with this!" he exclaimed his laughter fading and a thoughtful smile tinged with sadness coming over his face.

Combeferre nodded and the two of them went and reclaimed the arms of the two girls. They went to a cafe and got ice cream together and then made their way to the house, Cosette had agreed to have dinner with them all that evening. Without even thinking she and Azelma threw open the door in a spirited race to get to it first, the traces of childhood still apparent in these two young women. They were stared at a startled Eponine and Enjolras. The two of them had been caught in the act of exchanging a kiss in front of the fireplace. Enjolras still held Eponine's hand in his and their faces were still close enough to make what had occurred fairly obvious when Combeferre and Grantaire followed the girls into the room. They both grinned which minorly infuriated Enjolras, but what was the point in hiding it any longer, he was not ashamed that Eponine and he were attached to each other and he knew that sooner or later the others would become aware of it and start in on the good-natured teasing they always gave when someone in their circle fell prey to Venus' arts.

Congratulations and teases were passed out from all around to the two of them and they all ate a merry supper together. Enjolras could now openly hold Eponine's hand rather than covertly doing so under the table as he had been wont to do. Azelma lightly scolded her sister for not having told her of her secret romance and Grantaire did the same to Enjolras. Cosette and Combeferre simply congratulated them.

That night as they were all breaking off to go their separate ways Enjolras turned to his best friend "So, I am guessing since you are not chastizing me for my secrecy you must have already guessed it before it became known?"

"I had" he replied "but I wanted to make sure you two were happy before you were subjected to all of our teasing and jokes."

Enjolras nodded, he had guessed as much, Combeferre's calm and steady reasoning were severely underrated by most.

"I suppose all that remains is for you to find yourself a girl" he said smiling. He wanted to see his friend as happy as he was with Eponine.

"You lovers, you're all the same, you go mad and then want nothing more than to spread your madness throughout the population and turn the whole world into madmen crazed on romance" Combeferre said in jest.

"It's not a bad form of insanity" Enjolras protested smiling at his friend.

"I never said it was" he responded before grabbing his coat and making his farewells. He took a long route home. Nothing could make a man feel more lonely than the sight of his friends happily in love. He slept that night by the riverside, falling asleep as he had contemplated the stars and was awakened in the morning by some friendly gamins who had thought him dead.


	14. Justice and Fate Come Together

Winter settled in and Eponine found herself in posession of a new coat which was warmer than anything she could remember having before. Of course walking home everyday with Enjolras' arm around her kept her warm too. In between his gift and the present of his company it was shaping up to be the best winter she had ever known. She and Cosette went out with some of the other girls to do some shopping for Christmas. The boys had sent them out of the house so they could decorate it and make it properly festive for the upcoming holidays. Eventhough only Azelma, Eponine, and Madame Hucheloup lived in the house now, it was still the main hub of activity, even more than the cafe. After all the king had pardoned them but being seen together at the cafe too much might arouse suspicions.

Enjolras, in the months since the barricades had taken to focusing his passion on finishing his studies. He planned on becoming a lawyer for any poor person that needed proper representation. He still had a desire to fight and tear down monarchies, but he was seeing that the philosophy of his friend Combeferre was superior to agressive activities. To take fear away and replace it with education, that was how to change the world. If the opportunity to fight came he would naturally seize it, but he was not going to lead others to their graves again, not as an initiator at least. He had discussed all these things with Eponine and was delighted that she approved, that she was not going to cling to him and try to thwart him should the opportunity to fight arise, she was actually volunteering to fight by his side should such an occasion arise.

Monsieur Fauchelevent and Grantaire hauled an enormous tree into the room and the rest proceded to cover it in tinsel and ornaments. Enjolras, being tallest, put the star on top and then the rest of them went about hanging stockings and various other decorating activities. They each wanted the room to be a wonder for the women when they returned.

The women had all descended on one shop after another, Eponine and her sister had decided, with Azelma's prompting that they should go to the bookstore to look for some gifts.

"I've been saving a bit of money back" Azelma said. Her pregnancy now showed quite obviously and she felt very self conscious. "I'm just not sure what to get him. Surely sister, you are in love with his best friend, I want to get something that will impress him" she added.

Eponine looked at her sister and smiled a bit. "So you want to impress the philosopher?" she asked.

"Oh Eponine! I know he only treats me nice because he feels sorry for me and because he's such a good person, but if I could win his heart I could be happy. If only I hadn't messed up and fallen into Montparnasse's trap, if only Combeferre were the father" she sighed lowering her eyes in shame.

"Nonsense sister" Eponine said putting her arm around her sister's shoulders. "We all make mistakes, if Enjolras, in all his sparkling pure purity can love me, there's no reason you don't have just as much chance of winning Combeferre's heart." She shook her head "don't worry about it, just keep on being friends with him and hopefully he'll wake up one day and see how pretty you are and fall madly in love with you" Eponine giggled softly. "You will be fine, and someone will love you, baby and all" she assured her, pushing some hair back under her sister's bonnet for her.

"You really think so?"

"I see no reason why it shouldn't be so, it's happened to other girls before, why couldn't it happen to you?"

Two shops down Cosette and Amelia were perusing the wares inside a store that catered to artists. Cosette felt, despite her heart having warnings about the impropriety of buying a better gift for one person than for the rest had decided to go buy a set of artists brushes for Grantaire. All the others were getting simple things, generic gifts, but she wanted to get Grantaire something special. She told herself it was only because he had been so good, and kind, and attentive to her since Marius' death, but a secert part of her told her otherwise. She bought the brushes and on a whim in the next shop bought him an artist's beret for laughs. It was so strange, Grantaire was the only man she had ever felt comfortable enough with to tease and make jokes around, she wasn't very good with jokes, but he always seemed to laugh at hers.

Amelia followed along, silently, helping Cosette carry her things, and being given some francs to go buy gifts herself. In the clothing store the young girl bought a nice pair of gloves, they were cheap, only for everyday wear, and she intended to give them to her idyll. She knew Enjolras and Eponine were in love, and she had no jealousy in her pure childish heart but their being together didn't stop her from daydreaming over the gallant blonde and wanting to get him something nice for Christmas.

At last Eponine and her sister exited the bookstore, each having a parcel under their arm to be given to their beloved. The girls went to the market, found the vendor who peddled hot chocolate and drank their fill while warming themselves by the vendor's little fire. All wore happy faces and were alight with the joy of good fun.

Suddenly, from down a side street there stalked up a wiry man, Azelma and Eponine immediately recognize the fatally handsome face.

"Well, well, well" he almost cooed "what a pretty collection of fillies here. One of which I think is mine." He said cruelly as he glared at Azelma and her large stomach "or maybe two."

"No, nothing here is yours" Azelma said, she found strength in the company of her sister.

"You little hussy" he said taking her hand to drag her away from the crowd. He felt a hot poker jab into his side, Cosette, to everyone's surprise had picked up the poker from the fire and holding it like a sword used it to get Montparnasse to unhand Azelma. Eponine stood to Cosette's side, the pretty nitwit had no idea who she was dealing with. The two formed a wall in front of Azelma.

"If you know what's good for you you will get out of here and leave Azelma alone" Cosette said trying to sound stronger than she felt.

"And how is this any of your business mademoiselle?"

"Azelma is my friend" Cosette said defiantly. "I insist that you leave her alone, can't you see she doesn't want anything to do with you. Leave her be."

"Or what miss?" he asked almost hissing the words.

"Or I shall call the police" she said, after all, it was what she would do.

He laughed, his laughter was hard and cruel.

At that moment, as if on cue from the Fates themselve who were feeling irony was in order a troop of gendarmes came down the street, Amelia at their lead. She pointed and Montparnasse ran, but he was overtaken, clapped into chains, and arrested.

Amelia was rewarded with as many sweets as she could eat, two new dresses, bonnets, gloves, sous. She was heralded as the hero of the day, and the vendor of the little hot chocolate stand even told his good friend who worked for one of the papers about the story and it received a short write up in the news for that month.

After they had recovered from the excitement they started back to the house.

Eponine took Cosette's arm and said to her "I didn't know you had that in you."

She blushed "I didn't either" she admitted.

They had all agreed not to tell the men, especially Monsieur Fauchelevent about their encounter and they entered the house in high spirits, made only higher by the spectacle that greeted their eyes.

The room smelt deliciously of spices and cedar. There was tinsel and ivy everywhere. The tree was immaculate. The stockings festive as could be.

"Can I interest you fine ladies in some eggnog?" Grantaire asked, a little tipsily to be honest. For he had already drank a great deal of the eggnog while the others had been working. He didn't feel that it was breaking his vow to become a better man, it was getting into the holiday spirit he felt. And what was the holiday 'spirit' without spirits.

They all sat down and chatted merrily, Eponine quietly told Enjolras about what had happened with Montparnasse to which he responded.

"It's about time our woeful police force actually did something about it" then he turned and saw Amelia sitting by herself. He went over and spoke with her for a bit then he returned to Eponine's side. "If it doesn't bother you, I think I'll go out and do my own Christmas shopping now, and I think I'll bring Amelia along and get her something too" he looked at her "she's going to make a fine citizen, she already is."

"Can't I come along?" Eponine protested with mock pouting.

"No" he said smiling and tucking some hair behind her ear "not this time, I have to get you your present" he leaned down and gave her cheek a soft kiss that made her heart flutter a bit.

"Aw! now I want to go with you more than ever" she said grinning.

He shook his head, taking her hand and putting a kiss to it "I promise, I will do my best to find the best present for you, just be patient, Christmas is not that far away."

She sighed and watched Enjolras and Amelia leave. She felt almost like Amelia was their adopted daughter, of course so did all the others. Combeferre watched over her like a big brother, Enjolras inspired her like a teacher would, Madame Hucheloup and Monsieur Fauchelevent were naturally father and mother to this girl who had lost both. She also felt like she was mother to Amelia as well. In Eponine's mind she saw a daydream that she felt could never be, but that didn't stop it from coming into her mind at random moments when she felt full of joy because of Enjolras. The vision was her in her best dress, with Amelia going before her tossing flowers everywhere and Enjolras standing at the end of the aisle, dressed in that fne red jacket of his waiting for her, as a preacher stood at hand. She knew it was absurd, Enjolras despite having started down the road to learning romance, was a long way off from matrimony, and he couldn't marry her anyways. He was an only son, bound to inherit, what would his parents do if he brought home a tramp's daughter for a bride, not that he was ever going to go home, but the point still remained.


	15. High Spirits

It was a week the week of Christmas. Last minute gifts were being bought and handmade gifts were being finished and wrapped. The pile under the tree grew day by day.

The cafe was closed for the week and Madame Hucheloup's home was now more festive than ever. Stockings for each person in their circle of friends had been hung over the fireplace. Combeferre's name being so long that it had to wrap around to the backside of his stocking. Monsieur Fauchelevent had taken it upon himself to be the chief stocking filler. Enjolras had a map of France and some tea in a cannister in his along with the usual assortment of small things like butterscotch and peppermint candies and an ink pen. Combeferre had a blank journal in his, Eponine a hairbrush, Azelma a new set of needles for her sewing, Madame Hucheloup had a new set of measuring cups stuffed into hers, Cosette had a mirror, Grantaire some powder so his hands did not sweat inside his boxing gloves, Amelia had a pretty barrette for her hair, and Musichetta had an elegant but inexpensive necklace with two portrait spots in it, fashioned with miniature portraits that Grantaire had painted of Joly and Bossuet.

Grantaire had been doing his best to be considerate and kind to all, but he would have been lying had he said he was not going out of his way to make Cosette's papa think well of him. He figured while he was waiting for the daughter to end her grieving he could spend his time trying to ingratiate the father. He had spent the last two weeks trying to figure out what to get Cosette, and he was still no closer to an answer. Everyone else was so simple, Combeferre and Enjolras always had books they wanted, and while Cosette read, it was hardly the spectacular kind of gift he was hoping to give her. He could get her some accessory like a barrette or a bonnet but that just seemed generic. He was at a loss as to what to buy her, he only knew that he had to do something quick or else he would find himself without a gift to bestow upon her on Christmas day.

With only four days left until Christmas inspiration struck. He would paint her a painting, a full-sized painting that she could hang on the wall. It was to be of her and Monsieur Fauchelevent walking in the park and he set to work on it in secrecy. He cloistered himself up in his room for the next day and a half, getting no sleep and eating very little. He was determined that it would be perfect, and would be completed in time. He emerged on Christmas Eve, heading to the house on Rue de Providence with a large parcel wrapped in brown paper under his arm. He set it under the tree, hoping to escape notice and return home without anyone seeing him but it was not to be so. Enjolras was sitting in the corner reading a book.

He arched an eyebrow at his friend's appearance. Grantaire was covered in splotches of paint, his eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and his stomach was growling from lack of sustenance.

"Where have you been?" Enjolras asked "no one has seen anything of you in over three days."

"Working" was his short answer.

This brevity only piqued Enjolras' curiousity further and he went over and looked at the parcel to see the name attached to it.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure she'll appreciate it" he said. "And if you hurry we're going to be having dinner in an hour" he provided.

"I could just stay here then" he said.

Enjolras couldn't help but smile a bit as he led his friend over to the looking glass in the living room "I wouldn't recommend that. You might frighten people" he said, rather proud of enjoying himself at teasing his friend. He had become more open to being teased as well as to dishing out some teasing of his own since being in Eponine's company so much. For no one could equal her where sass and a sound sense of humor were concerned.

Grantaire nodded "thanks" he said and then disappeared. Enjolras waited until Combeferre came in a quarter of an hour later and took his friend aside.

"You know, I think Grantaire might be in love as well" he observed to Combeferre.

His friend laughed heartily "you think?" he shook his head "my dear Enjolras, I commend you on your new-found perspicacity" he said chuckling.

"You mean you knew already?" he said nodding, of course, Combeferre was always the silent observer.

"I am fairly certain everyone knows" he said chuckling as he poured some eggnog for himself and Enjolras. "To our friend and his romantic endeavors" he said toasting the absent Grantaire.

Christmas day dawned chilly and bright, there had been snowfall the night before but the sun had come out in the morning. Everyone made their way to the house and was greeted by warm cups of tea or cocoa and given a chance to explore their stocking's contents while they waited for the whole group to assemble.

Grantaire donned his best outfit, he had even went home early the night before so that he could sleep and lose the frighteningly flacid look his face had taken over the three days he had spent working on the painting. He got to the house around the middle of the early part of the morning and arrived just after Combeferre. When he opened the door he smelt the enticing smell of spices and tea. Upon closing the door he heard the sweetest voice he knew ask "would you like some tea?" He turned around and saw Cosette standing at his elbow in her best dress and felt his knees go weak a bit.

He nodded "thank you" he said almost too quietly to be heard. She reappeared after he had hung his coat by the door and handed him the cup of tea, his fingers brushed hers as he took it and they stood for a brief moment without saying or doing anything, both had felt a thrill at the contact. She darted away to help Amelia with the tray of cookies, but not without looking back over her shoulder at Grantaire before she disappeared into the kitchen. He stood fixed to the spot where she had left him until Combeferre pulled his friend into a chair.

At last all the expected guests had assembled.

"Who will give their gift first?" Cosette asked.

"Well technically, I already gave the first gift this morning" Eponine said gesturing to her sister who was decked out in a violet dress that no one had ever seen before. Everyone seemed to agree that she looked very charming in it. And much to Azelma's delight, Combeferre, who sat beside her remarked.

"You look the prettiest of all the girls here" he had meant it, and her imagination grasped that one statement and dwelt on it. That short sentence was her best present yet.

"I'll go last" Enjolras said. He didn't want to throw everyone else's presents in a lesser light because of his. It wasn't vanity, it was generosity, for his gifts might cause a tumult that would be hard to calm down.

At last, the order was determined, Eponine, who had went first, would go first, then the rest of the ladies, then the men with Enjolras last.

"Quite the bookends you two are" Combeferre teased in the fullest of merriment.

"Does everything have to relate to books 'ferre?" Eponine retorted with a smile.

"If at all possible" he said grinning.

"Fine, then have a book" she said tossing him his present with a laugh.

They continued. Azelma had bought a book for Combeferre and a new pair of glasses as well.

"You're always forgetting to bring your main pair when you come here, I thought a spare might come in handy" she said softly as he unwrapped his present.

"You're a smart one" he said leaning over and giving her cheek a kiss "thanks, I'll leave these here and never have to have that problem again." He put his old glasses on the mantle and put on the new ones she had given him. This delighted her most of all, that her present was now to be his everyday wear.

Cosette's presents were all in good taste and appreciated by all. She gave Grantaire his last.

"I confess, I got a little silly with yours" she said blushing as she handed him his present.

"I won't mind, I promise, I enjoy your silliness a great deal" he said as he unwrapped them. He felt the bristles on the brushes and recognized the quality, it gave him a warm feeling that she had thought enough of him to spend that kind of money on him. He unwrapped the beret and laughed, trying it on at a jaunty angle to everyone's amusement. He would have kissed her cheek but not with her father so near.

"Well this leads into my present for you" he said "and seeing as you were last of the ladies, I'll be first of the men" he got the parcel from behind the tree where he had stashed it and handed it to her, his hands shaking a little as he did so, his eyes were fixed on her face as she unwrapped it.

She smiled as she saw the beautiful mastery with which it had been painted, smiled at the scene, the subject, how she and her papa had been rendered with his brushstrokes. She looked up at him and set the painting aside and getting up, careless of her father who was fortunately occupied with looking at the picture, she kissed Grantaire's cheek.

"It's beautiful" she said smiling brightly.

"So are you" he said before he could stop the words. He blushed a bit and took a step back as her father looked up, his eyes still fixed on her lovely face. He continued distributing his gifts for the others, though his eyes always found a way to travel to where she was. She had kissed his cheek, the surge of excitement that had given him was indescribable. Their eyes frecquently met as the day progressed.

As gifts were distributed by the other men in the company Monsieur Fauchelevent found himself observing a spectacle that both alarmed him and comforted him simultaneously. He saw his dear Cosette smiling as he had not seen her do since the barricades. It was a warm smile, not bright and airy as her typical smiles were. Her usual smiles were cast about like raindrops falling from the sky in a careless manner and blessing whoever they fell on, this was a profound and purposeful watering that she was about now. She was smiling at one individual in the room, and one only received her smiles. He returned them as well. Her papa suddenly began to suspect his charge of flirting with the dark-haired drunk. Of course to his credit Grantaire had not been drinking nearly as much in the past few months. Suddenly Monsieur Fauchelevent began to piece a rough picture of things together in his mind. He wasn't sure how he felt about this potential romance, but he would reserve any final opinions on the matter until something occurred that forced him to acknowledge it, which meant either Grantaire talking to him about his feelings for Cosette and asking his permission, or a decidedly unfavorable conclusion would be reached if Grantaire did not do so. The young man had no need to be secretive and he hoped he would come to him soon if he meant to do something about the mutual attachment that seemed to be occurring.

At last it came Enjolras' time to distribute his gifts. Most were simple and all of good quality. A black cravat for Monsieur Fauchelevent, a new bonnet for Madame Hucheloup, a book of Plato's works for Combeferre, a cushion for Azelma's chair, new boxing gloves for Grantaire, a book for Cosette, and so on. He, much to his lady's frustration, saved her gift for last. Finally, from deep under the tree, so deep he had to get on his knees to retrieve the well-hidden parcel, he came forth with a small box about the size of his hand. He had gotten cedar needles in his hair and caught in the folds of his shirt as well, and left a trail of needles from the tree to Eponine's feet. He knelt down at her knees to help her unwrap it. She opened the box and gasped.

"It's yours, whether you say yes or no, but I pray that you will say yes" he said his keen blue eyes watching her in anxiety. Inside the box had been a ring of pink gold with a small emerald set in it, the question was obvious, and Eponine was speechless. Could this be real? Could it actually be happening, her daydream that she had refused to believe, was it becoming a reality?

She took the ring and put it on her finger and then bent down and pressed her lips to his in a firm, and dizzying for him, kiss.

"Yes" she whispered.

He picked her up in his arms and spun around grinning ear to ear. The question answered now, the entire room burst forth into loud applause and simultaneous congratulation. The gift-giving now at an end they all proceeded to move slowly towards the table and prepared to eat with the aid of many different spirits.

Cosette lingered by the tree, picking up discarded wrapping paper and the trail of needles and tossed them into the fire. She was thoughtful. For the past month or more she had found herself looking at Grantaire as she had never thought to look at a man before. She found her heart beating faster when he was near. She found him coming into her dreams at night and her daydreams during the day. It had been almost six months since losing Marius, she had sworn she could never love again, but now she questioned that. Not only did it seem very silly to throw away the rest of your life at just now seventeen years old, but she began to feel certain that Marius would not have wanted her to lock herself up in a convent until the end of her days, and she also felt that her papa did not wish her to do so either, it was why she had never mentioned the idea aloud. She now saw the idea as infantile and even a little cowardly. She was sweeping the floor, all of these thoughts rolling around in her pretty head when she felt the presence of another person nearby. She looked up, and her heart skipping a beat or two, saw Grantaire leaning against the window by the tree. She walked over to him, the tree blocking them from the view of the rest of the household.

He looked down at her and smiled. He wanted to say something, to tell her how he felt, instead, all that came out was "fancy that, Enjolras engaged."

She smiled "it was a pleasant surprise" she said.

"Love" he said with almost a jealous sigh "it keeps looking like a better idea than I ever gave it credit for being."

She looked up at him "views can change." She looked out the window "my mind has certainly changed on various topics in the past months."

"Oh?" he said looking at her "do tell mademoiselle?"

"I have decided that I don't want to live the rest of my life mourning behind convent walls."

He smiled "I can't tell you how happy that news makes me" he took her hand and kissed it "I would hate to lose your company, and I somehow don't see me being welcome as a visitor at a convent" he grinned.

She laughed "it was a silly childish idea, I don't think I'm doomed to grieve for Marius forever. I love him, and I always will, but I shall grow to love just the memory of him, and then I'll be free to give my heart again I hope."

Grantaire's breathing froze, his entire aspect was one of suspense, he had to say something now. He began slowly "well, whenever you find that moment has come" he said, his voice softening more as he went on "will mademoiselle think of me?"

She looked at him in happy surprise.

"You are the first man I think of" she was not even conscious she had stopped using future tense and had switched to present. Grantaire's heart leaped at this grammatical change. He took her hand and kissed it again, this time it was not a light and fleeting kiss of chivalrous gallantry. It was a kiss of desperate gratitude, at last, at last he could hope for her heart to be his one day.

They went over to the dinner table together and noticing their expressions Combeferre moved over a chair so they could sit side by side, with him next to Monsieur Fauchelevent instead of Cosette or Grantaire. He eagerly began to engage the old man in conversation.

Spirits were soaring by the time the party ended. Everyone declared it the best Christmas and the best party, with the best presents and the best company, that they had ever experienced. Congratulations were once again handed out to Enjolras and Eponine and Combeferre decided he would walk home with his best friend. Grantaire also decided it would be a good night for a walk with his friends.

The three men made their farewells and exited jubilantly.

"I never thought I'd see the day" Grantaire said playfully elbowing Enjolras. Since the barricades the chief had come down off of his pedestal in Grantaire's eyes and became the flawed human that he truly was. He still admired Enjolras' spirit and drive, but it was no longer an unholy worship as it had once been; his admiration was now tempered to moderation. This had had the unplanned benefit of making Enjolras more approachable, and had been a great help to the two becoming friends rather than verbal sparring partners and archetypes.

Enjolras blushed in the moonlight "I didn't really expect to either, for so long I watched all the others go about falling in and out of love, thought you were all idiots in my arrogance. Now I understand, and seeing as I love her too much to have her as anything but my wife, I acted accordingly."

"Scrupulous even in love" Combeferre said chuckling. Enjolras' purity really was unassailable.

"Enough about me, I have enough happiness of my own" he said hoping to change the topic. "What of the tete-a-tete behind the Christmas tree Grantaire?" he said deflecting the topic onto his friend.

It was Grantaire's turn to blush. "It was nothing" he mumbled.

"Thats the most something of a nothing I've ever heard" Combeferre said doing his best to prod the story out of his friend.

"Did you say anything to her?"

Grantaire sighed, his unachieved romance was far more interesting than Enjolras' bliss, that much was obvious, and seeing as his friend had so kindly shined a spotlight on this area, there was no escaping without relating the full story.

"She told me she didn't see herself joining a nunnery and mourning her days away, I told her I was delighted to hear it, then she said felt she might one day love again, I asked her to think of me when they day came, she said she would" it wasn't quite the full story, but he didn't feel obliged to tell his friends about that precious change from past to present tense. They knew enough now to sate their curiousity.

The three talked for a bit about Grantaire's situation before depositing the blissful Enjolras at his domicile.

"I guess all that's left is for me to go find myself some pretty little mademoiselle" Combeferre said chuckling to Grantaire. "Perhaps Cosette has some friends from the nunnery she could introduce me too" he laughed. He was quite content being single even if some days he did find himself longing for a love like Enjolras had found in Eponine. That, in addition to the natural feelings of loneliness that came and the desire to wrap his arms around some pretty girl's waist and be able to call her his own. Combeferre was ready to fall in love, he just didn't it yet. Also, when the thought of love did occur to him, he realized his list of female acquaintences was limited to the small circle that centered around the Cafe Musain, he knew few, if any, outside of it.


	16. Breathless Delight

All throughout the holiday season and well into January Cosette found her heart leaning more and more towards Grantaire. Now that he had expressed an interest in her the thought of him was harder than ever to banish from her mind. At last, on the first fine day of the year which came in early February and was the first hint that spring was going to unfold in a month or two, she and Grantaire were invited to join Enjolras and Eponine on a Sunday's walk in the park. The idea was for them to help plan the wedding, but the conversation that ensued postponed any such talks.

As they reached the walk that circled the pond in the park, following behind the other pair, Grantaire turned to Cosette and asked very softly "I know you have not said that the day has come yet, but, could I be bold enough to ask your father to see you?" he asked, he was aquiver with shyness and anxiety, two things rather uncommon for him to feel. But to him she was this great light and he was in the bottom of a well, trying his hardest to climb out of the slime at the bottom for just a chance with this blue-eyed angel.

She turned and looked at him, stopping in their walk. "Grantaire" she said sweetly "I believe my heart is not unattached" she paused and smiled, his face was filled with agony, had she lost her heart to another after promising to think on him first? "It has been, quite contrary to what I had been planning, attached to you, for some time, it sort of snuck up on me without my being able to stop it" she explained.

The agony vanished from his face and was replaced by radiant joy. "Then I can talk to Monsieur your father about courting you?" he asked with breathless delight.

"You may" she said smiling sweetly, her eyes going from downcast to looking up at him. His heartbeat had accelerated far past a normal rate. He wanted to take her in his arms, kiss her, hug her, spin her around until she was dizzy. He loved her more than was probably healthy, he mused, but then he liked to take things to an excess. And with a woman like her, who would ever think of alcohol as their source of joy in existence.

He excused himself from the company, leaving Cosette to talk with them about their wedding, after all, he was no help except when it came to finding the purveyors of the goods they decided they wanted, the actual decision making was not his forte. He raced to the small house that Cosette and her father lived in, nervously tried to fix his appearance in the reflection of the glass window panes, and then, with an enormous lump in his throat, he knocked on the door. He had obtained her permission, now he was desperate to obtain her papa's.

Monsieur Fauchelevent came to the door and a look of concern came over his face.

"Is everything alright? I thought Cosette was with you and the others?" he asked as he ushered Grantaire into the foyer.

"Everything is fine, they're discussing the wedding, and I had something I've been wanting to discuss with you" he said blushing a bit.

Monsieur Fauchelevent looked over his shoulder at him and braced himsel from the conversation that he had dreaded but also expected as inevitable.

"Sit down" he invited after a pause. Grantaire sat down, nervously perched on the edge of the chair. "Speak" he prompted kindly.

"Monsieur" he began "I have long held your charge in high regard, I know you see Cosette as your own daughter, and that is why I'm coming to you." He paused, he could almost feel the persperation beading up on his forehead, this benign old man held all his hopes and dreams in his hands. "I want your permission to court her" he said and then with eyes that pleaded he looked at Monsieur Fauchelevent. He felt he had been too hasty, jumping to the point without any softening to the blow, he waited in anxiety.

Silence filled the room for a long minute as the old man got up and walked the length of the room, returned to wear Grantaire sat in a frenzy of despair and said in a firm voice. "So long as you respect and love her, you have my permission."

He heaved an enormous sigh of relief "thank you monsieur" he said, he could have kissed the old man's hand "thank you. I assure you I could do nothing but respect and love Cosette, she means the world to me."

Monsieur Fauchelevent smiled "as she does to me as well."

After a drink and a short conversation Grantaire hastened back to the park and caught up with the company. Cosette immediately turned her eyes on him. He had told her where he was going.

He came up to her took her hands and kissed them happily and then beaming declared "he said yes." He picked the petite girl up and spun her around.

Enjolras leaned over to Eponine and said softly "and I thought I had this love-madness bad." Eponine laughed.

"I'm not the picture perfect model of feminine delicacy and sweetness, so you're forgiven for not being as silly over me as he is over Cosette."

"Oh, but you are" Enjolras protested "at least to me. To me you are the model of womanhood."

She smiled and gave him a quick kiss that made him blush.

The pair had finally decided on a wedding in May. Azelma was due in early April and that would give her time to recover and be able to participate in the wedding festivities without too much embarassment. Combeferre and Grantaire were naturally to be the groomsmen and Cosette and Azelma the bridesmaids. Seeing as the one thing Grantaire was not apt at procuring was a preacher to do the officiating, they left that to Monsieur Fauchelevent. Amelia was to be flower girl and had volunteered to watch over Azelma's baby whenever she was needed to help her sister and had to leave the child, Madame Hucheloup eagerly volunteered to assist with that duty. So, with all the arrangements in hand the days flew past.

Cosette helped Eponine plan and pick things out, and Grantaire assisted Enjolras in a similar capacity. When they weren't busy helping plan the wedding Combeferre was busy helping Cosette learn teaching methods, and Grantaire was frecquently at her side content to watch her as she poured over books or tried to absorb Combeferre's rhetoric. The two of them still found plenty of time to take long walks, sometimes with Enjolras and Eponine, and sometimes alone.

Azelma delivered a week or two early, giving birth in the last week of March. The child had tufts of her auburn hair already showing on his newborn head and he had the dark green eyes of the man who had sired him, much the same way a tomcat sires a precious kitten. This child upon entering the world was loved. His mother loved him, his aunt and her fiance adored him, Combeferre, Cosette, and Grantaire were ecstatic at his arrival, and naturally Madame Hucheloup and Monsieur Fauchelevent doted on him as if he were their own grandchild.

She had named the child Jacques, after Combeferre's inspiration: Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In their many talks and walks that they had he would frecquently fall into conversation that at first she did not comprehend, but in the months since their meeting he had slowly broadened her mind, illuminate corners in her head that she didn't know existed. In this docile flower from the sewers he had fanned the divine flame that rests in all humans, that flame that if ever extinguished leads to darkness of the soul and loss of one's conscience. Now, after months of knowing the man she understood some of the philosophical writers he would quote, and she would occasionally grasp a thought he was trying to project without him having to elaborate. Her intellect had been awakened.

Combeferre for his part enjoyed having a patient listener. Too often Enjolras and himself found each other in competition for the floor. As for Grantaire, you never could be sure whether he was listening to what you were saying or simply nodding because he had saturated his brain with alcohol to the point that he would agree with anything. Of course Grantaire drank less now, but Cosette's presence seemed to have a similar heady effect so that he seemed to tune all else out. Azelma was his patient audience and eager learner, she always seemed interested in what he had to say, whether she understood it fully or not.

One day, after all the others had left to go about their business Combeferre dropped by the house on Rue de Providence. He found Azelma alone, and seeing as the sun was shining he proposed a short outing to get her some fresh air. He helped her bundle of baby Jacques so that he had no risk of chill and happily held the bright faced baby boy in his arms.

They set out and he gave her back her son. Since he did not wish to stress her in her recovery condition they settled on a walk to the end of the street and back. Near the end of the street there was a line of shops and out from one of them came a group of girls who seemed to recognize Azelma. The girl froze, paralyzed with fear and shame as the gaggle of females came up to her, looking like lionesses about to pounce on their kill.

"So" the one said viciously "this is the brat you went into hiding over?"

"He looks sickly" the other one said just to be snide. Jacques was the picture of health as far as newborns looks went.

"I heard the father was Montparnasse, any word from daddy about the bundle of joy? Oh thats right, he's off in the slammer, shame" another said with a patronizing look.

"Is he the father?" another asked her eyes aglow with the chance for gossip.

"No madame" Combeferre said, coming to the rescue of the besieged Azelma "as far as it may concern you, which I don't see how it does at all, Jacques is mine." He took the stunned and grateful Azelma's arm and wheeled around without another word to the band of hussies. All of whom stood with mouths agape in surprise. None of them had lovers who were as fine as Combeferre in bearing and grace. Their condescion turned into envy.

Azelma whispered to Combeferre once they were safely headed back towards the house "thank you" she said "you didn't need to do that, but thank you."

"My dear mademoiselle, I was not about to let you be cannibalized by those vicious barbarians who don't even deserve the title of woman. It's because of hussies like that women get the awful reputation some give them."

Azelma's eyes lowered to the ground after looking down at Jacques in her arms, and Combeferre read her thoughts.

"Azelma" he said softly "you may have made some mistakes, we all have, but you are not a hussy. You are nothing like those girls back there, you are warm and caring and sweet, not cold, bitter, and heartless. Despite your mistakes you're far more of a lady in my eyes than a host of women I've met who have made much less serious lapses in judgement." He kissed her brow as they reached the door, which he opened for her.

She smiled up at him "thank you."

He returned her smile "if it will make things easier on you, you can tell whoever asks that Jacques is mine" he took the baby in his arms so she could shed her shawl. "After all, who wouldn't be proud to be papa to this handsome little fellow" he grinned at the baby boy who cooed happily.

She shook her head "I couldn't do that to you."

"Why not? It's be an honor" he said bouncing the baby in his arms.

"Are you sure?" she asked in wonderment.

"Mademoiselle, I insist" he said smiling "After all, you named him after my hero, might as well give him my name to finish it off. Jacques Combeferre, it has a wonderful sound to it" he said making adorable faces at Jacques while the baby happily cooed.

Azelma was delighted, he had stepped in to save her reputation. Now Jacques was not the bastard son of a murderer but the child of a man of learning. After all, Montparnasse was no father to the boy, and never would be. Combeferre had reassured her all through her pregnancy that he would see to it that the child was educated and brought up well. Combeferre was as much papa to Jacques and Monsieur Fauchelevent was to Cosette, if not more so, seeing as Jacques would never know a life before him. There were to be no Thernadier figures in his life. Azelma had dropped her last name and simply went by her first, and her sister was about to legally lose her name and become Eponine Enjolras.


	17. Do You Hear the People Sing?

The wedding day had finally arrived. Combeferre and Grantaire had spent the night at Enjolras' flat to keep him company and help him get ready in the morning. They had proposed a proper bachelor's party and been flatly turned down by the prim blonde. This had caused chuckles, but nowhere near as much as the chuckles that were ensuing as they helped him dress before it was time to go to church.

"Now Enjolras" Grantaire began "I know you're a little wet behind the ears about this sort of thing, which is why I'm here to help" he grinned shining Enjolras' boots. "But goodness man, it's her wedding night, she'll be expecting something, and you still turn rosy cheeks whenever she kisses you."

"Shut up Grantaire" Enjolras said absently, trying to get his shaking fingers to tie his cravat.

"No, I understand, it's not something you want to admit" he continued, taking delight in the discomfiture he was causing in his friend. "But mon ami, you have to have at least some idea of what you're about."

"Shut up Grantaire" the blonde repeated as he grabbed his boots from him, Combeferre having finally stepped in and tied the cravat.

"Very well, but she's a real spirited girl, she has expectations" he said trying his best to contain his laughter "you have to know how to do certain things or it will just be a giant disaster. One must now how to properly bed a girl"

"Shut up Grantaire" the two men said simultaneously.

"Alright, gang up on ole Grantaire if you want" he said chuckling "I was just trying to be helpful."

"If you were being helpful you would have went and seen if the coach is here yet to get us to the church on time, 'that' would actually be helpful" Combeferre scolded as he helped his friend into his jacket.

As soon as the door shut behind Grantaire, Enjolras turned this best friend, finally letting the panic show. "He's right" he said in distress "I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing."

Combeferre laughed merrily "my so very naive ami, it will come to you" he clapped his friend on the shoulders. "Believe me, it has been coming naturally to people since Adam and Eve, you'll be fine. Don't let Grantaire get to you." Combeferre went and donned his own coat.

Enjolras nodded, his fears somewhat assuaged by his friends reassurances.

At the church Cosette helped Eponine put the final touches on her dress. Azelma stood by with Amelia, Madame Hucheloup, and baby Jacques. In the abscence, and it was a purposeful absence, of Monsieur Thernadier, Monsieur Fauchelevent was to be giving the bride away. It was to be a small wedding and not overly done, despite Cosette wanting to deck everyone out to the gils and overdo all decorations and the like, Eponine and Enjolras both wanted a spartan affair.

As Enjolras stood at the altar waiting he couldn't help but fidget with the unexplainable nervousness he felt. He knew she loved him, what was there to be nervous about? As he stood there, bouncing on the balls of his feet a bit and fidgeting with the hem of his coat he couldn't help but think of life since the barricades, life since meeting Eponine. All she had done for him, all they had done together. Her even practical nature tempering his ideas with moderation. Her wilfulness both infuriating him as well as bringing him back down to earth when it was necessary. He marveled at how well she complimented him, he hoped he did the same for her.

Combeferre leaned over to his friend and whispered these short words that went to the man's heart "they'd be proud."

After all, 'they' were the only thing missing from this day being absolutely perfect. Of course, Enjolras had Grantaire and Combeferre, and he thanked God that he did, he would have done something suicidally reckless by now if not for his steady guide and his fun-loving cynic. But the day would have been whole with Courfeyrac cracking jokes, witty but indelicate. Joly nervously checking the windows in the church to make sure no one got a draft and chilled. He cracked a smile thinking of the hypochondriac by his side checking his tongue in his pocket mirror. There was Bahorel to be missed as well with his booming voice and boisterous personality, had he been there he would have surely done something both hilarious and offensive by that point in time. He thought of Jehan, who would have written vows specifically for them, instead of the traditional ones they were going to use. He probably would have composed a poem in their honor too. There was Lesgle's smiling face to be missed, brought to mind all the more by seeing Musichetta's face in the crowd gathered there to celebrate this day. And of course Marius, Marius who would have enjoyed seeing this moment and being here most of all probably, and who with his aptitude for clumsiness would have probably knocked over a couple things by now and apologized profusely. And Feuilly whose warmth would have accented everything and whose clear head and firm hand would have been more than welcomed on a day like this. Enjolras was sublimely happy, but he missed his friends.

Grantaire's thoughts were chiefly on the fact that he might one day follow in his friend's unlikely footsteps and find himself getting married. He and Cosette felt a great deal for each other, and while he respected and adored her almost to the point of worship, he also had a strong desire to pick her up, carry her to his bed and ravish her til she was breathless. Of course, because of his enormous respect for her he never even attempted to press her boundaries, he loved her, he'd die if he ever offended her, this still didn't change the fact that he wanted her. He was roused from his reverie by the sound of the doors opening and the gasp of the crowd: Enjolras was a lucky man, that was his first thought, his next was to support his friend whose knees had visibly wobbled. He held Enjolras' one elbow while Combeferre gripped the other until the shock had passed.

Enjolras was in shock, she was more radiant and more beautiful than he had ever seen her before, or even imagined that she could be.

Eponine walked down the aisle her eyes aglow. This was her daydream finally becoming a reality. Her handsome prince awaited her so that he could kiss her and make her his wife. She had never been happier.

The ceremony concluded the happy couple left the church under a rain of flower petals and rice. The banquet in their honor was held in the Musain. It had been closed to all other guests for the occasion. As Enjolras helped his wife into the open carriage that they had rented to take them from the church to the cafe Eponine turned her back to the crowd, putting her hand over her eyes and tossed her boquet. Grantaire, in his attempt to catch the herald of wedding bells ended up tripping and falling before it reached him, it instead fell on the unsuspecting Combeferre who looked at it with a moment's surprise and then laughed in the face of destiny. Surely he would not be getting married before some of the others that were there, he didn't even have a woman in his life. He felt silly walking around with the bunch of flowers, he wasn't Jehan.

"What do I do with these?" he asked vaguely embarrassed as he walked alongside Madame Hucheloup the short distance from the church to the cafe.

"Give them to someone of course" she said smiling.

"But who?" he didn't want to seem romantic towards Cosette, that was Grantaire's department, he didn't want to seem to be making an advance on Musichetta either. She would always be Joly and Bossuet's very literary and delicate sweetheart, he could no more think of her than he could of Eponine.

Madame Hucheloup shook her head. "You boys can be so blind to what's staring you right in your faces at times" she said with a sigh.

"Whatever do you mean?" He was Combeferre, he was the observer of the group, he took exception to being called blind.

"Dear Combeferre, take a look around you, how can you not see it?" she asked as they walked.

"See that you and she are a fit. I'm not one to tell you what to do with your heart, but I would think that if you were interested in disposing of it to a worthy girl you couldn't find a better match for yourself if you scoured all of France, she adores you."

"Who?" he asked in utter beweilderment.

With a roll of her eyes Madame Hucheloup pointed Combeferre so he was looking straight at Azelma, who as fate would have it, was in the midst of laughing, which made her subtle charms sparkle. It was a thunderbolt to poor Combeferre's heart, it all suddenly made sense, and where he had hardly noticed she was a woman except to protect her and be courteous to her as befitted her sex, he suddenly saw the fine teeth, the auburn hair shining in the sunlight, the waist that was full enough that it would be the perfect feel to wrap your arms around. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to have that plump but dainty waist in his arms.

It suddenly became clear as day, of course she loved him. How had he not seen it, how had he been so ungallant as to ignore the fact that her heart lay before him. The attention with which she listened to him when they talked together. The thoughtfulness she showed him. He had been steadily winning her heart without even trying. In his efforts to promote his friend's romance he had been unwittingly promoting his own. He was surprised by his own lack of perspicacity when it came to the love in his life.

He looked down at Madame Hucheloup who was smiling, having guessed his emotions by the stunned look on his face.

"See?" she said gesturing to Azelma, whose back was to them.

"Yes, I just don't understand how I never saw it before" he said almost more to himself than to her.

"Perhaps you had your nose too tightly pressed between the pages of your books" she ventured. They both laughed.

"Excuse me madame" he said to her "but I think there's a lady I need to talk to."

"That you do" she said chuckling.

Almost as soon as he had realized she was in love with him he had realized that he loved her as well. He had kept her waiting on him and his foolishness long enough. He finally had eyes to see with, and what he saw, he cherished. She was perfect in his eyes.

Madame Hucheloup had voluntarily relieved Azelma of Jacques and Combeferre came up and offered her his arm. He suddenly could not take his eyes off of her. He smiled down at her.

"Azelma" he said softly blushing as he handed her the boquet "there's something I would like to talk to you about."

"Yes?" she responded looking up at him as he led her a little ways away from the others.

"I want to apologize for being the biggest and most unimaginable fool in France."

"Combeferre" she protested "whatever are you talking about?"

"I've spent all these months paying attention to you and I thought I was only doing it to give Enjolras and your sister some space. But I suddenly realize that there was something more to it, I didn't notice it until today but Azelma, I love you, I have all along I think, I just didn't know it. Do you love me? Part of me thinks you might but if you don't please tell me and I'll shut up" he hadn't meant to run on like that. He hoped he hadn't overdone it.

She smiled and stopped in her walk and put her arms around him.

"I do love you" she admitted smiling.

He held her close, wrapping his arms around lovely waist. He looked down at her and smiled happily. This was perfection.

"We should go, your sister will be wanting you, but I claim you for all dances to be had" he said picking her up and spinning her around before setting her down.

She giggled, Grantaire looked over in surprise but gave his friend a congratulatory nod and grin.

At the reception in the cafe Azelma related her happy news to Eponine, Enjolras over hearing decided he would go talk to Combeferre who was dreamily watching Azelma talk to her sister.

"You look happy" Enjolras said coming to his elbow.

"I am" Combeferre said simply.

"Azelma eh?"

"Yeah."

"Since when?"

"I don't even know the answer to that myself, it just all sort of came together today though" he admitted, his cheeks flushing a bit.

"Well I'm glad" he said "now my brother in arms and her sister are both happy."

"I suppose so, it looks like we may not just be brothers in arms but brothers-in-law as well" he said chuckling.

"Really?"

"Why not? I've wasted a lot of time already. I feel bad, I honestly do, what I put her through, paying her all that attention when, at the time, I didn't mean anythig by it. Besides, if we marry it will save her a lot of grief" he said.

"Combeferre" Enjolras said suddenly concerned "you do love her don't you? You're not just doing this to fix her reputation?"

"No" he objected "I love her, but even if I didn't love her marrying her would still be a good idea. I mean practically it solves things, but believe me friend, it's not just about practicality. Azelma is like my own personal ray of sunshine and I adore her. I think I may have always done so I was just a little too blind to notice it until recently."

Enjolras smiled clapping his friend on the back and leading him over to the table.

Meanwhile, in another, more private part of the cafe Grantaire and Cosette were having a little tete-a-tete. He had separated her from the group to talk with her, leading her to the kitchens.

"What is it?" she asked, for he had a very determined and serious look on his face.

"I want to ask you a question?" he said softly.

She smiled "ask away."

"This marriage thing, I never thought it was a good idea or made a whole lot of sense until I met you" he cupped her cheek in his hand. "Would you ever consider marrying a man like me?" he asked almost shyly. He had been honest with her and her papa about his past ways and behaviors, there would have been no point in dishonesty, Combeferre or Enjolras would have found it neccessary to say something if he had been secretive.

She looked up at him "I'd more than think about it, I'd say yes if you were ever to ask me."

He smiled, and unable to resist pressed a firm and ardent kiss to her lips.

"Will you marry me Cosette?" he asked.

"Yes" she said smiling and giving him a sweet embrace.

He stroked her hair, her head laying on his chest. He had just gotten himself engaged, he could hardly believe it.

"I should go ask your papa" he said after a while, reluctant to break up the beautiful moment they were having, but he wanted to be sure that this was going to work.

She nodded, unwrapping her arms from around him. He took her hand and led her to the table where her father was.

"Monsieur" he said to her papa "there is something I need to ask you."

The old man looked up, he sensed this was serious. He walked with Grantaire to the edge of the room.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Monsieur" he said taking a deep breath "I've asked Cosette to marry me. We would like your blessing though" he added "will you give it?"

The old man was silent, he was surprised but not displeased. In the past months he had observed that Grantaire was deeply devoted to his daughter. He smiled at last "you have it my son."

Grantaire gave a sigh of relief "thank you" he said in true gratitude.

They went back over to the table and quietly told Cosette. He then stood up and tapping his wine bottle like others would tap their glass to get everyone's attention.

"First" he said drunk on happiness "I wish to make a toast to my good friend Enjolras and his happiness and health, and that of his bride as well. May she stay pretty and witty and he be happy continually" everyone seconded the toast and raised their glasses "and second" he said grinning widely "I would like to make an announcement regarding myself." He relished the pause as everyone's eyes turned onto him "I just got this pretty little lady's permission and her papa's blessing and will be following in Enjolras' footsteps to the altar sometime soon."

The roar of applause was almost deafening. Grantaire was tackled with embraces and congratulations, Cosette was flooded with well-wishes and joyous predictions.

The wedding ended with everyone happy and jubilant to the extreme. Enjolras and Eponine got on the coach that would take them to their honeymoon on the riviera. Most of them went home, Combeferre went to the house on Rue de Providence with Azelma and the two stayed up late talking about many things, and caring for Jacques who had become fussy with all the excitement he had been exposed to during the day. Combeferre took Eponine's old bed in Azelma's room to spare him from a walk home at three in the morning, and because he wanted to be there to care for Jacques should he wake up in the night and disturb his mother's sleep. As he fell asleep he mused over how he already felt like a father to what would be his step-son. For Azelma and him had discussed marriage already during the day. They would probably do something very modest, maybe a simple wedding once Eponine and Enjolras got back from their honeymoon. He chuckled softly, he was going to be getting married in a month or two, he could scarcely believe it himself, first Enjolras, now him and Grantaire. Fighting for revolution had led to finding their loves.


	18. Epilogue

If you wish to know the fate of these characters then this will give you a glimpse of how their lives went in the next ten years.

Enjolras stayed abreast with all political events and revolts, he participated in those that he agreed with and fought against those he thought was wrong. Sometimes it was his musket he fought with, sometimes his mouth. He became a famed speaker on political and social issues and wrote essays that were published and earned him worldwide renowned.

Eponine supported him in all his endeavors. She sometimes spoke on her own as well. She also helped with the school for the impoverished as a link between the class of children that was being taught and the teachers, who were almost al borgeois. She and Enjolras had three children, two daughters and a son, the son they named Gavroche.

Grantaire got himself a modest job as a shopkeeper in a wine shop and lived comfortably on that income in addition to the inheritance he received. He stayed close with all his friends despite not participating in their school the impoverished except for occasional patronage and of course the avid participation of his wife.

Cosette taught basic living skills such as cooking, sewing, and simple medicine, and she also taught writing to the students. She taught the feminine arts to the girls that came, teaching them proper speech and grace, which helped a small portion of an entire generation of gamines to think of themselves as ladies instead of hussies. She and Grantaire had six children, four boys and two girls the girls being named Madeline and Fantine.

Combeferre was essentially the headmaster of the communal school, he also occasionally wrote essays, though less fiery than those of Enjolras, and had them published at the urging of his friends. He devoted his time when he wasn't at the school to raising funding for libraries in Paris and the countryside beyond. He always felt that provincials were left to ignorance because of libraries being so far away in the cities, he even started something like the first mobile library in France.

Azelma acted as an assistent to Cosette at the school when she wasn't working with Madame Hucheloup. She became more and more literary and increased in profound thought as the years went by. She grew in grace and joyfulness and lived happily by her husband's side, they had five children together, all of whom, the girls included, attended university.

Madame Hucheloup and Monsieur Fauchelevent lived to ripe old ages surrounded by their "grandchildren." When he died, Monsieur Fauchelevent left a record of his life and two silver candlesticks to Cosette, the rest, except a small pension for Madame Hucheloup to retire on, he left to charity, especially the communal school.

Musichetta stayed single for the rest of her life, always grieving the two lovers she lost in one night. When Madame Hucheloup died she left Cafe Musain to her. The 'widow' as some called her was respected by all and supported by her friends. She was always welcome at the houses of Grantaire, Enjolras, and Combeferre. Whenever she had time she always happily volunteered to babysit the children of her friends. She was loved as an aunt by all the children.


End file.
